Desperado
by CatChester
Summary: When Xavier informs the X-Men that recruiting Gambit is vital if they are to stop Apocalypse, no one is Happy. Rogue volunteers for the task, but can she convince the mercenary cum terrorist to change sides?
1. Chapter 1

AN: About the title. Desperado basically means outlaw, which could describe our favourite Cajun and that alone would be enough. However, if you listen to the song by the Eagles, it too has a lot in common with Wolverine and the X-Men's version of gambit. Add this fic to that canon and you basically have Gambits story.

**Chapter One**

Logan never could get used to these meetings on the Astral plane. He was a man of power, of action, so being in a place that was purely of the mind was taking some getting used to.

"What have you discovered, Chuck?"

"Very little," Charles admitted. "The only concrete piece of information can give you is regarding a thief by the name of Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit."

"You want me to take him out?" Logan knew that he sounded eager, mainly because he wasn't trying to hide it.

"No! No, we need him."

"You want me to sign him up?" Logan sounded incredulous.

"From what I've been able to gather, he will join the X-Men of his own volition, but by then it will be too late."

"Charles, you're talking in riddles."

"I know," he sighed. "All I can say for certain is that he will steal something that is vital to Apocalypse's rise to power and he will do so in about a years time."

"So he's working for Apocalypse? Figures. Wouldn't be the first time he'd betrayed his own kind."

"Logan, I know this is difficult to believe, but I think you may have misjudged him. He is fondly remembered in this time."

"I still don't see why I can't take him out," Logan grumbled. "That would solve the problem."

"Not exactly. He would stop him from stealing the artefact, but it wouldn't stop anyone else from taking it. Besides which, he will become the leader of the X-Men in a few years time, after you are captured."

"Gambit! Leader of the X-Men? Over my dead body!"

"Please, Logan, just do what you can."

Logan was silent for a moment before finally agreeing. "All right."

"Thank you."

"It would help if you could tell us what this artefact is."

"I know. I have very little information at the moment but I have two leads to follow. One is a journal that used to belong to an X-Man. It is rumoured to contain some details of Gambit's life but it is kept within Apocalypse's domain and will be hard to get to. There is also talk of someone called the Witness, who used to know the X-Men and claims to be the last person to see them alive. We are trying to find him now to see if he knows anything that might help us."

"All right, Chuck, let me know what you find."

* * *

The X-men were gathered in the War Room to hear the latest news from the professor.

"You cannot be serious?" Kurt said. "He stole from us for the MRD and he crippled Genosha!"

"I know," Logan agreed. It was hard to convince your team of something when you didn't believe it yourself. "But on the bright side, at least with one of the bad guys working for us, we should be able to keep an eye on him."

"So how do we do this?" Scott asked. He trusted Xavier with his life, so he would trust him on this too. "Where can we find him?"

"Don't know," Logan admitted. "Much as I hate to admit it, he's good at what he does, he's never been caught, least not by the authorities, and when he wants to disappear, he does. The only lead we have is that he belongs to the Thieves' Guild in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, he is the adopted son of the guild leader, Jean-Luc LeBeau."

"Then let's join the guild," Bobby said.

"You don't just join the Thieves' Guild, Bobby."

"Then we'll subcontract him!" Bobby said, seemingly thrilled with his idea. "If we're hiring him, then no one else can!"

"Nice idea, Iceman, but first, the Guild doesn't subcontract and second, Gambit's sold out a client for money before."

"I still don't see how we can ever trust such a man," Kurt added.

Logan wanted to say that he agreed, but he knew the others looked to him for leadership and if he couldn't at least look like he was willing to give Gambit a chance, none of the others would.

Silence enveloped everyone in the room until Rogue spoke up. Her voice was soft but everyone could hear,

"I can do it."

"Do what?" Logan asked.

"Get into the guild."

"Rogue, it takes years of training before they let you join. I know you were able to fool the brotherhood, but these guys actually require you to have skills, like the ability to pick a picket or a lock."

Rogue pulled a glove off and waggled her fingers at him. "You find me a thief, I'll do the rest."

"It still isn't going to be that easy." His patience was beginning to wear thin. "You don't know these people like I do."

"I know what the Thieves' Guild is, Logan, and I'm pretty damn sure that someone breaking in and stealing from them will get their attention."

"And just how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"Easy, I'll use Quicksilver, Kurt and Kitty's powers."

"Look, I know your control is improving but you don't have total recall yet. What if you get stuck?"

"Then I'll get caught, which is pretty much the point of stealing from the guild in the first place."

Logan knew that Rogue could hold her own among bad guys. He also knew that her mutant powers and her recently developed ability to recall previously absorbed powers would make her the perfect thief. Plus she was probably the only woman alive who wouldn't fall for Gambits cheap lines and womanising ways. She was the perfect choice for this mission, so why was he hesitating so much?

"Okay, maybe I can't join this guild, but I guarantee you that I have enough skills to get Gambit's attention at the very least." Rogue continued to argue as if she thought that Logan was about to say no.

"All right, fine." Logan sighed. "I'll go through what I know about the New Orleans Guild's with you this evening, Beast'll hack into the MRD and create a criminal record for you under the name of Bandit, it'll make you seem more authentic. You leave for New Orleans tomorrow."

Rogue was smiling.

"What?" he asked,

"Bandit and Gambit?" she asked.

"Do you want the MRD to have your mutant name?" Logan asked. "You can have Gambit call you whatever the hell you want, but I ain't tellin' the MRD anything useful."

"Fair enough," Rogue said with a shrug, though she was still smiling at the absurd names.

* * *

Rogue and Logan stayed up into the early hours of the morning discussing the guild and various plans. It was probably the most civil conversation that they'd had in a long time, and was only so because they were discussing work.

They both missed the easy relationship that they used to have, but with Logan always running off and Rogue's rather convincing defection to the brotherhood, they hadn't been friends in a long time now.

When they had finally talked through as many strategies as possible and they were headed to bed, Logan stopped her on the landing by grabbing her arm. Rogue's heart skipped a beat at the serious expression on his face. She dreamed of words like 'Take care of yourself,' or 'Be careful,' or maybe even 'I'll miss you, kid,'.

"Whatever you do, don't underestimate Gambit."

Rogue pulled her arm out of his grip and stormed off towards her room.

"Don't worry about me, Logan, I'll be careful. And I'll miss you too!" She slammed her bedroom door after her, not caring if she woke anyone else up.

Logan sighed, then walked past her room and into his own. He still loved Rogue like she was family, but for some reason he just couldn't talk to her like he used to, like he wanted to. Instead they always ended up arguing.

Now Rogue was going off to convince a thieving, lying, backstabbing traitor to join them, and she was leaving thinking that he didn't give a damn what happened to her.

He paused outside his room and looked back down the hallway to her room. He should probably go back and apologise, but he knew that they would just get into a worse argument if he did.

* * *

Now that she was here, Rogue was actually looking forward to spending some time in the south. Even though she was here for work, there was something calming and relaxing about being back here. Not that she'd been to New Orleans often, but enough for it to be familiar and comforting.

She booked into a plush apartment in the French Quarter, after all, no thief worth their salt would stay in any old motel, and pulled out her map. Last night she and Logan had highlighted the properties where the Thieves' Guild and the Assassins Guild had their respective headquarters. Though she wasn't here for the Assassins, she had to be wary of them because of their long running rivalry with the Thieves. Logan had given her a crash course on both last night, though even his knowledge was sorely lacking in many ways. The Guilds were almost like the Masons, secretive to the point of paranoia.

Still, Rogue had a plan and after pulling on her green coat and raising the hood, she set about enacting it.

* * *

Remy LeBeau loved stealing. Each job was different and tested his skills in different ways, since no security system was the same. He viewed a heist almost like some would view a puzzle, and he couldn't rest easy until he had 'solved' the puzzle and the loot was safely in his possession.

Of course the heists were the pinnacle of his chosen career, but he wasn't above pickpocketing just for the hell of it. It wasn't like he needed the money but there was a certain thrill, knowing that you were stealing from someone, right under their nose.

It didn't matter what was going on in his life, thieving could always distract and cheer him up.

The house tonight was a grand old mansion in the French Quarter, the home of Judge and Mrs Connors. Remy loved the idea of stealing from a judge, after all, it wasn't like he was going to get caught.

He had been planning this job for two weeks, researching the house, the alarm, the safe and the security firm that had installed both. Finally he was ready to go.

The sensors on the windows were easy enough to override. The motion sensors were a little harder, but Remy was practised at moving slowly enough not to trigger them. He made it into the Judge's office but since this was where the safe was, he decided to disarm the motion sensor in here. The system used tunnel-diode oscillators, so Remy just had to aim another tunnel-diode oscillator at it, which resonated at the same frequency. That done, he headed over to the fireplace and pulled up the rug which lay in front of it. Then he pulled out the floorboards to finally reveal the safe.

Remy liked going old school with safes, so he pressed his ear to the metal as he turned the dial. He already new that it was a six digit code, now he just had to find the right digits. A few minutes later he was rewarded by the lock springing open.

He opened the door and looked inside. His eyes soon found the black velvet jewellery box, which he took out. It's important when you're a thief that you steal the right thing, and not say a copy or a fake. As such, Remy puled out his loupe to examine the stones with, however when he opened the box he was in for a shock. There was no ruby and diamond necklace or earrings as he had been expecting, and instead there was a folded note.

_'Gambit, if you want your loot, come to K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen at 7 o'clock this evening. X'_

"And sealed with a kiss, no less," he said to himself.

Judging by the handwriting, the fact that they wanted to meet in a restaurant and the kiss, Remy thought that the fellow thief was a woman.

He realised that he should be upset by this; it was supposed to be an easy job with a more than decent pay off but really, this was the best thing that had happened to him in months!

* * *

Knowing Gambit's penchant for seducing women, Rogue had decided to take a leaf out of Emma Frost's book and use her sexuality for a change. She couldn't dress nearly as revealingly as Emma because it just wasn't safe, but she was still sexy, she thought. The dress was red satin with a fitted, off the shoulder bodice that showed ample cleavage. Rogue had then bought some red lace in the same colour and body stocking to line the lace. She had sewn full length arms and a high collar, then attached them to the dress. To top it off she had red gloves, opaque, flesh coloured pantyhose and red heels.

Not many people knew this about her, but Rogue actually enjoyed sewing. She didn't do it very often because she couldn't wear much in the way of pretty clothes these days. Well she could, but they were likely to get ruined in a fight or when the mansion was blown up, or when Scott lost his glasses and took a chunk out of a few rooms...

This dress had been her recent exception and she had spent many nights sewing it and getting it just right. Then she had stashed it in the back of her closet, so that she didn't have to look at it every day and remember that no one ever took her anywhere nice enough to wear it.

Now, as she sat at her table on the balcony of K-Pauls, she was glad that she had the dress. She sipped her wine and waited for Gambit to arrive. He was easy to recognise from Wolverine's description and as she saw him cross the street to the restaurant, she saw him spot her and offer a smile and salute. Rogue felt her pulse quicken and wondered why Logan hadn't said anything about how handsome he was.

She kept her composure, took a large sip of wine for some Dutch courage and waited for Gambit to be shown to her table. She saw his face light up as he realised that she was his dinner companion.

"_Mademoiselle_," he said, taking her gloved hand hand and bowing over it to kiss the back. "What a pleasure it is to meet you."

Rogue just watched him, trying to gauge how to react. She gestured to the seat opposite her and he sat down.

"I must say, you are not what I was expecting when I read your note."

"Who were you expecting?" she asked.

"Not someone so_ belle_."

"Does your flattery usually work?" she asked with an amused smile.

"_Oui_," he grinned back. "But I can see that for a woman such as you, I shall have to work a lot harder."

"And what exactly do you expect in return?" she asked as she poured him a glass of wine.

"Why the necklace, of course, _cher_, and maybe if I'm a very good boy, you."

"Something tells me that you're not the type to be good for very long."

He flashed her a wicked grin then sipped his wine. "Mmm. _Tres belle_ and good taste in wine. You seem to have it all, _cher_."

The waiter came back for their orders so they took a quick glance at the menu, then got back to their conversation.

"So, _cher_, what is it going to take to get that necklace back?"

"Are we done with the flirting?" Rogue asked, doing a decent job of hiding her disappointment.

"Never! But we can combine business and pleasure, _non_?"

"What about rule number three?"

Gambit regarded her for a moment before answering. "Rule number three only applies to clients, and as far as I can remember, you haven't hired me."

The look he was giving her was hungry and Rogue felt quite flushed under his gaze. He reached across the table and took her hand, tracing patterns on the back of it with his thumb. It felt positively delightful and she was forced to wonder, if he could make her weak at the knees just touching her hand, what could he do if given access to her body.

"You can't sell that necklace, you know," he kept his tone seductive. "You don't know why my client is."

Rogue smiled. "Says who? But if you really upset me, I'll just pawn it. I don't think your guild would be too happy about you botching a job to such a degree."

"You seem to know a lot about this guild, _cher_."

"I make it a habit to get to know organisations that I want to join."

He hadn't been expecting that and his eyebrows went up in shock.

"You want to join the guild?"

"My daddy always said that I should join a union."

Gambit laughed, positively thrilled by this turn of events.

"So I get you a meeting with Jean-Luc, the leader of the guild, and you give me the necklace back?" he asked.

"Something like that."

"And what if he turns you down."

"He won't," she said with certainty.

"What makes you to sure?"

Rogue looked down to the hand he was holding so that his attention was focused there too, then she puled Kitty's psychie out and used it to phase through Gambit's hand. He grinned.

"That's a neat trick, _cher_."

"It's no trick."

"So you're a mutant?" he asked softly.

Rogue nodded. She didn't need to ask if he was because of his eyes.

"What else can you do?" he asked.

Rogue looked around for a way to use her powers discreetly.

"Do you like roses, Gambit?"

"Who doesn't?" He followed her gaze down to the street, where a street vendor was selling single roses. He felt a breeze, then looked up to see Rogue holding a rose out towards him. He accepted with a wide smile. "I must say, it's usually me giving the flowers."

"A change can be nice sometimes," Rogue smiled back.

Remy looked down to the street. "Did you really get this from him?"

"Of course."

Their appetisers arrived then, Remy had ordered Chicken and Andouille Gumbo while Rogue went for the Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Caper Dill Remoulade.

Rogue couldn't help but moan as she ate.

"You like it, _cher_?" Gambit asked, his eyes alight with mirth.

"I'm sorry," Rogue blushed. "I live up north so I don't really get much decent Cajun food."

"Ah, I understand." He sipped his wine and wondered just what it was about this woman that he was finding so irresistible. Sure, she was beautiful but then so were a lot of women. She had confidence which was attractive, but hardly unique to her. The white streak in her hair was interesting, but in these days of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, unusual hair was becoming positively common place.

"So, _cher_, will you tell me your name?"

"They call me Bandit."

"Oh now, _cher_, we were having such a nice evening, why you have to go and lie to Gambit?"

"I said that's what they call me, I didn't say that was my name." Her answer was stiff and he knew that he'd caught her in a lie, even without his empathy to help.

"So what do you like to be called," he pressed.

She looked at him for a few moments before answering. He could feel her uncertainty and hesitation but when she replied, her answer was truthful.

"Rogue," she said softly.

"Nice to meet you, Rogue."

Their dishes were collected and they ordered more wine before resuming their conversation.

"So, what happens now?" Remy asked her.

"First you follow me back to my hotel, search it when I'm out. It's a waste of time because the jewellery isn't there, but I don't expect that will stop you." She looked in her purse and handed him a key. "I'm staying in the Pontchartrain, penthouse suite. I'll be out between noon and four tomorrow."

"I'm a thief, _cher_, I don't need a key."

"I know," she smiled. "I'm just making things easier for you."

"Okay, so then what happens?" He was enjoying this conversation.

"You have me followed in the hopes that I'll lead you to he jewellery. It won't work though, I'm not that dumb."

"I would never think that you were dumb, _cher_, but you're right, I would have you tailed, just in case."

"You only have until Friday, when you're supposed to meet with Mr Samms who hired you. With time running out, finally you'll see that my way is your only hope of getting the jewellery back in time, so you'll take me to see your father, Jean-Luc, who will string me along until I give up the jewels, then shut me out of the guild."

"If you're so sure that we'll double cross you, why do you want to join?"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she shrugged and gave him a cheeky smile. "I could be a real asset to your guild and I think that you know that. Now I'm just waiting to see if your family are smart enough to realise that too."

"You drive a hard bargain, _cher_."

Rogue just shrugged again. She didn't think that a real thief would think twice about driving a hard bargain.

Their main courses arrived, Rogue had chosen Blackened Stuffed Pork Chop Marchand de Vin, while Remy had opted for Duck and Shrimp Dulac.

"So, _cher_, why don't you tell me something about yourself?"

"What would you like to know? How long I've been a thief?"

"I was thinking more about you. Where you're from, what your folks are like, why you live up north now?"

Rogue didn't like those kinds of questions and kept her eyes focused on her plate as she refused to answer.

"Let me guess, that accent got to be Mississippi, right?"

Rogue looked up at him and nodded once.

"You don't like to talk about your childhood, do you." It was a statement, not a question. "Bad memories?"

Rogue nodded.

"I can relate."

His expression was so sincere that she truly felt that he could relate.

"I was abandoned when I was a child," Remy began explaining. "Probably because of my eyes."

"You were born with them?"

Remy nodded. "I wasn't exactly popular in the orphanage so I ran away, lived on the streets and learned to pick pockets to survive. I did okay."

"How did you get into the guild?" she asked.

"I picked the wrong pocket," he said with a cheeky smile. "Jean-Luc LeBeau's, to be accurate. He was so surprised at my gall that he took me home with him. He didn't realise that I had no clue he was the head of the Thieves' Guild. He adopted me and taught me the ways of the guild."

"They didn't mind that you were a mutant?"

"Non," he shook his head. "They're my family and never treated me any different 'cos I was adopted or a mutant."

Strained as relations with some of the X-Men were at the moment, Rogue had found herself a family of sorts, but they weren't humans, they were fellow mutants like her.

"What's it like? She found herself asking. "Being accepted by people, I mean, not the guild."

Remy smiled warmly. "It's nice. Doesn't matter what I do, I know they'll be there for me. It's comforting."

"You could do anything and they'd still accept you?" she asked. She knew from bitter experience that the X-Men's affection came with strings attached, such as not joining the Brotherhood. She could actually see why the Brotherhood felt the way they did, and she understood why they did the things they did. Part of her had wanted to stay with them, especially after the X-Men had made it crystal clear that she wasn't welcome at the mansion any more, in any capacity. And that had come from Beast, who was easily the most diplomatic of the X-Men.

"I think so," Remy answered, feeling her pain and confusion. "They may not like what I do, but they'd never abandon me."

"Even if you joined the Assassins?"

"I'm no assassin, _cher_," he sounded affronted by the idea. "But yes, I know for a fact that they would still love me. You see I used to date the heir to the assassins. Papa didn't like it but he didn't forbid it. It was Belladonna's fathers who forbid us from seeing each other and ended our relationship."

"That must be nice," she smiled sadly.

Remy put his cutlery down and reached across the table for her hand. "It is."

He felt sorry for her, she realised, and her defences came crashing down. She pulled her hand away and stood up.

"_Cher_?"

"I have to get going. I'll pay for dinner on my way out."

"But-"

"Goodnight, Gambit."

Remy watched her leave, wondering what could make such a beautiful woman look so sad. Maybe that was why she wanted to join the guild, maybe she was after family?

He remained where he was as he thought about the puzzle that was Rogue. He didn't need to follow her tonight, not because he believed that she was staying in the Pontchartrain, though he did, but because he had placed a tiny tracker on the lip of her glove so that he had no need to follow her home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Rogue changed out of her beautiful dress as soon as she got back to her suite, tossing it aside almost angrily.

The problem with being a double agent, she decided, is that often the other side had people or ideologies that you liked or agreed with, at least in part, and when you turned on them, as was inevitable, they too would turn against you.

She couldn't blame them for that, she just hated causing people she liked any pain.

She still missed Domino from the Brotherhood. Rogue didn't have many girl-friends. There was Kitty, but she was a few years younger than Rogue and often that gap in maturity showed.

Domino was as close as Rogue had ever got to having a best friend, and while she could never have allow the Brotherhood to assassinate the X-Men, her betrayal of Domino had hit Rogue the hardest.

Now she was starting to like Gambit and while they were Thieves, the dynamic of the group actually seemed better than the X-Men. If Gambit was to be believed, they didn't abandon their own, they didn't turn their backs, even when you joined the enemy. If she had been Gambit, she too might well have overlooked their illegal ways in order to have a loving family.

* * *

Rogue arrived home the next day after a lovely afternoon sightseeing. She didn't expect Gambit to have left any signs that he had searched her suite, so she was surprised to see a huge vase of red roses sitting on her coffee table, a box in front of that and a note resting on the top of the box.

She couldn't help but smile as she reached for the note.

_'You were right, ma ____cher__, I didn't find anything. Please allow me to apologise by picking tonight's location. Meet me outside St. Louis Cathedral at 8 P.M. I took the trouble of choosing a dress for you. Though not easy, I believe I found a dress equal to your beauty._

_Remy X'_

Rogue bit her lip, feeling both excited to be seeing him again so soon, and bad for letting the X-Men down. She hadn't let them down yet of course, so she just had to keep her eye on the prize. And try to remember why exactly Remy was such an awful human being.

Okay, well first he had stolen the power suppression collar for Senator Kelly and given it to the MRD, then he had set bombs on Genosha, crippling their utilities. Of course soon after that, Magneto had arranged for his own island to be bombed so-

"NO!" She cut that line of thinking off. She couldn't believe that's she was already trying to find excuses for him. There was no excuse for her setting the X-Men up to look like they had attacked Senator Kelly too but-

Rogue got to her feet and began pacing the apartment. She had it bad, only one date and already she was falling for him. That in itself was laughable, she was the untouchable woman, after all, and love was impossible for her, to say nothing of Gambit's traitor status.

She longed to be able to talk to Logan, to ask his advice like she used to, before he left and everything went to hell. These days though, she was more likely to get a lecture rather than any helpful advice.

She wouldn't show up tonight, it was as simple as that. If she didn't see him, she couldn't fall any deeper. Maybe it was mean to stand him up but it wasn't like she had his phone number, and sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind. Only she wasn't sure who exactly she was being cruel or kind to.

Against her better judgement, she found herself opening the box to look at the dress. It couldn't hurt to look, right?

* * *

Remy had begun to think that Rogue wouldn't show, she was already ten minutes late but as he turned around, she was standing behind him, looking absolutely stunning in the emerald green dress that he had bought, to match her eyes.

"Hi," she said softly.

Remy smiled. "I thought for a moment there that you weren't coming."

"I almost didn't," she said, sounding sad.

"What changed your mind?"

She held her hands up, showing off the gloves that had been included with the dress.

"I need to know how much you know about me."

Remy smiled and nodded. "If course, _cher_. Let's take a walk, shall we?"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her over the road into Jackson Square. Rogue felt very strange to have someone's arm around her and wanted to pull away, but somehow she couldn't.

"I did some checking into you," Remy admitted. "Would you expect anything less?"

"No."

"I know all about your mutation," he said. "And it doesn't bother me."

Actually, she was been more worried that if he knew about her mutation, he also know that she was an X-Man.

"Is that all you discovered?" she asked.

"No."

They walked in silence for a while.

"I found that little profile you set up on the MRD database for 'Bandit'. Very nice touch."

"How do you know that isn't me?"

_"__Cher_, we both know that you're an X-Man, and that you've probably come here to extract your pound of flesh."

Rogue stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"I would rather your story had been true because I think you could become someone very special to me, but I'm no upset no. This day was bound to come, and in many ways, I'm relieved."

He dropped his arm from around her shoulder and headed over to a bench. Rogue stayed where she was until he patted the seat beside him.

"So what now?" he asked as she sat down.

"What do you mean?"

"What's next? Give me to the MRD, hand me over to Magneto, or do the job yourself and put me out of my misery?"

"I didn't come here to kill you!" she shrieked, hurt by the implication.

Remy looked into her eyes until he was certain that she was telling the truth. His empathy helped with that, but there was nothing quite like looking into someone's eyes to find the truth.

He let out a long sigh, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looking out across the square.

"When they send someone as beautiful as you, with poisonous skin... I'm sorry, I should have known you weren't a killer."

He sounded so forlorn that Rogue found herself leaning forward and putting her arm around his shoulders.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Gambit."

"Don't worry, _cher_, you won't have to. I'll go quietly."

"I'm not here to hand you over to Magneto or the MRD either."

"Then why are you here?" he asked, turning to face her.

"I'm here to recruit you, if you must know."

"Pity." Remy smiled sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." He shook his head then got to his feet and began walking away.

Surprised by the action, it took Rogue a moment before she began following him and she had to rush to catch up with him.

"Where are you going?"

"Home, _cher_, where you should be going too."

"I can't just go home." She had expected to spend at least a month here, and she wasn't going back without Gambit. He was her mission and she was taking him back with her, come hell or high water.

"Tell your friends that they had a lucky escape and to move on with their lives. I ain't no good for you or your team."

"But you've got a chance to start over here, clean slate, become one of the good guys."

He stopped and turned to face her, taking her shoulders as he looked down into her eyes, as if willing her to believe him.

"I ain't ever gonna be one of the good guys."

"Why not?"

Gambit let out a long sigh before answering. "Because I sold my soul too the devil, _cher_, and now I have to pay the piper."

He turned and walked away, leaving a confused Rogue watching as he retreated, his trench coat billowing our behind him.

She knew that she should have gone after him, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what to say to that last statement.

* * *

Back at her suite, Rogue called Beast. He was always rational and logical and he would probably help her think through this problem. She would have preferred to call Logan, but she also knew that he would be upset that her cover had been blown so soon, not to mention all the money they had wasted on renting this suite for a month so that she could look like a high class thief.

"And then he said that he'd sold his soul to the devil and now he had to pay the piper. So what do you think, Hank?" she asked when she had finished recounting her story.

"Well, he certainly is mixing his metaphors."

"Hank."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry. If I had to give an opinion, I would say that he has either done something so awful that he feels he can't be redeemed, or he literally does own someone a massive debt and feels unable to refuse their requests."

"But he did those jobs for Senator Kelly, what kind of debt could he owe him?"

"Perhaps if the MRD have picked him up at some point, he owes the senator his freedom."

Rogue hadn't thought of that. It made sense up to a point, "But Kelly is on our side now, so why would he still feel unable to join us?"

"That I cannot answer. Perhaps your best bet might be to simply befriend him. If he does have something on his mind, he might wish to share it with a friend."

"But I don't even know how to contact him."

"You could always visit the Thieves' Guild headquarters, they are bound to know where he is. And don't forget, he still needs the necklace that you stole, unless you already gave it to him, that is."

"No," she sighed. "At least I'm not that dumb."

"You aren't dumb, Rogue, simply dealing with a very difficult and complex character.

"Thanks, Hank."

"You are most welcome, Rogue."

"So how are thing back at the mansion?"

"Oh, much the same. Logan has a meeting with the professor tomorrow and he hopes to learn more about Gambit then."

"You'll tell me if the professor had any news, right?"

"Of course we will. Now try and get a good night's sleep and everything will seem a little less impossible in the morning."

"Thanks, Hank. Send my love to the team, wontcha?"

"Of course. Goodnight, Rogue."

"Night, Hank."

The next morning Rogue did feel a bit better. Maybe she had failed so far, but she wasn't a quitter. She wrote a note and sent it to the Thieves' Guild headquarters by messenger.

* * *

Jean-Luc LeBeau sighed after Remy had finished his tale, and steepled his fingers under his chin as he thought.

"Would you consider joining this X-Men group if they could get you out of this situation?"

Remy took a moment to consider, he was talking about abandoning his family, after all.

"Yeah, I would," he finally admitted. "I'm sorry."

Jean-Luc nodded thought fully. "As much as we would all miss you, none of us like you being held to ransom by this man. If the X-Men could free you from this agreement, then perhaps you should tell her the truth."

"You know it's not as easy as that. Besides, she's probably gone now anyway."

Jean-Luc shrugged as if to say 'Maybe she has, maybe she hasn't.'

"That still leaves you with the problem of what to do about this necklace."

Remy had forgotten all about that.

"She's probably put it back by now, the good guys don't steal after all, so I'll break in again tonight."

"Whatever you think best," Jean-Luc said.

Before they could continue the conversation, there came a knock on the door and one of the guards came in when bidden.

"This just came by messenger," he said, handing the envelope to Remy.

"_Merci, mon ami_." Puzzled, Remy took the letter and opened it. "It's from her," he said once the guard had left. She tells me that if I want my jewellery back, I must meet her for dinner this evening."

"Then all is not lost, Remy. This girl seems to like you, so perhaps you should trust her."

Trust didn't come easily to Remy and they both knew it.

"It'll think about it, _Père_."

"That's all I ask."

* * *

"You just had to come back for more, didn't you _cher_?"

"I see the old Gambit is back," Rogue said, taking the seat opposite him. She was pleased actually, because she didn't know how to deal with the Remy she'd met last night.

"He never went away."

Tonight they were dining at Brennan's in the French quarter, and Rogue had worn the dress Remy had bought her again, mostly because she'd either have to wear her dresses again or buy some new ones, and she'd spent quite enough money on this little expedition already.

"You like the dress?" he asked.

"I do," she blushed. Though it was beautiful, the thing she liked most about it was that it covered up most of her skin.

"So, why are you still here?" Remy asked. "I already turned you down."

"I have a month's let on the suite, so I might as well make the most of it. You have no idea how long it's been since I had a vacation."

Remy knew she was lying but he let it go and smiled.

"Then you picked the right city to vacation in. New Orleans has a lot to offer."

"Plus I have a local as my tour guide?" she said, so hesitantly that it came out as a question.

"That depends," he hedged. He knew she was only staying in the hopes of getting him to join the X-Men but on the other hand, he did enjoy her company. Just because she stayed didn't mean that she'd succeed. "I believe you have something of mine?"

Rogue nodded. "If I give it to you, will you show me around?"

"Of course, _cher_, nothing would please me more."

"Then excuse me for a moment." She left the table and headed to the rest room.

Gambit watched her go, wondering if she was going to sneak out and get the necklace. In the event however, she returned to the table not three minutes later and handed him a velvet drawstring purse.

Gambit looked to check the jewels were in there, but he couldn't very well examine them in the middle of a restaurant. He'd have to trust her, for now.

"_Merci, ____cher_. But I must say I'm surprised that you're giving them to me. You are one of the good guys after all."

"Good doesn't mean we're saints," she answered reasonably. "Besides, I did my checking into the Judge and discovered that he actually isn't a very nice man. I think he could do with losing something valuable."

Remy laughed. "So, you have them stashed here the whole time?"

"No," she laughed, though a blush warmed her cheeks. "Somewhere much safer than that."

Remy raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"I sewed a pocket into my bra," she admitted.

Remy smiled. "Oh, you should have let me look for them!"

"But you couldn't find them without passing out."

"Ah, _cher_, don't nobody know that Gambit likes a challenge?"

"Yeah, well there's a challenge and then there's a death wish. When it comes to me, it's definitely the latter."

"You trying to put me off, _cher_?" he asked reaching across the table and taking her gloved hand.

"Only a fool would know what my power was and still try to touch me," she said, looking down at their joined hands, her expression full of longing.

"Any man who'd let a little thing like touch stop them is a fool."

Rogue pulled her hand from under his. "Gambit-"

"Call me Remy, please."

"Okay, Remy," she was momentarily distracted by him asking her to use his real name. "Remy, we can't be together, not like that. Ever. You have to realise that."

"You sure about that, _cher_?"

Rogue didn't answer and Remy didn't push.

* * *

Over the next two weeks, Remy took Rogue all over New Orleans, showing her a lot of things that regular tourists would have missed. Luckily for Rogue, Remy knew how to treat a woman and was the most courteous and interesting tour guide that she could have wished for.

He showed her the French quarter and local landmarks, but he also introduced her to places that most tourists would never find. Her favourite was a little jazz club. She was a little uncomfortable the first few times because it was so crowded, but slowly she got used to the fact that she would not be draining anyone dry, mainly because she was always careful how she dressed.

The only thing that took her some getting used to was his desire to constantly touch her. He always seemed to have an arm around her shoulder, or was reaching for her hand, or placing her hand on his elbow. Rogue pushed him away for a few days but he didn't stop, so she just figured it was easier to get used to it.

What she hadn't been expecting though, was that Remy would actually talk her into dancing! No one else had ever managed that before. Remy wasn't like most people though, while he was persistent, he was also charming, making her laugh despite herself and slowly he had worn down her defences.

She couldn't help it, she was falling in love. Remy was so unlike the stories that Logan and Kurt had told her, that she couldn't really believe that he had done those things. She knew that it was foolish to fall for a man who had a track record of using women, especially inexperienced women, and then casting them aside after he had what he was after. She may not be as young and innocent as Lorna but she was just as ignorant when it came to matters of the heart.

She thought that Remy had feelings for her too, but she knew that she couldn't trust herself in that regard. Sure, she wasn't a means to an end for him like Lorna had been, but then maybe he was just making a contact, a 'get out of jail free' card in case the X-Men ever captured him or something. Or maybe he had his eye on some of Forge's technology (wouldn't be the first time).

Remy had equally mixed feelings about Rogue. First there was her mutation; what was the point in loving a woman who you couldn't really love? If he was honest, he would admit that he hadn't really experienced love yet, and that maybe Rogue was starting to teach him that it was about far more than sex.

But did he really want that? Okay, so sex wasn't everything, but it was something. Did he really want a lifetime of true love, combined with an eternity of longing?

And leaving that aside for now, there was still the fact that she was here on a mission. Did she really enjoy his company or was she a very good actress, doing what she could to win him over to her side? He thought that her feelings for him were genuine, he did have empathy after all, but she wouldn't be the first person to use someone they cared about for their own ends.

They both knew that 'the talk' was coming, and they both avoided it, preferring the dream to a possibly crushing reality.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

As Rogue's forth week in New Orleans drew to a close, they both knew knew they had issues that needed to be addressed, and that they couldn't avoid them for much longer. They were taking a carriage ride through the French Quarter but as romantic as it was, neither could truly relax and the ride had been mostly silent.

"Have you given any more thought to becoming an X-Man?" Rogue asked quietly, almost as though she was afraid to ask.

Remy looked deeply into her eyes, as though trying to read some kind of truth there.

"_Cher_, what would you do if I said I would go back with you, on the condition that you have sex with me?"

"What!" She rounded on him. "Remy! Of all the low, nasty things to say. Why would you even suggest something so impossible?"

"It's not impossible, _cher_, I know the the inhibitor collar is dangerous for long term use, but it would work for a few hours without doin' you any damage."

She supposed it would.

"Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's going to happen." She turned away, her arms crossed defensively over her chest and her shoulders stiff. "Like I'd waste my first time on something so sordid. I'm not a whore, Remy."

"I'm sorry," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I didn't mean that, but I had to know."

"Know what?"

"Know if you liked me, or if you were just using me."

She turned to face him again, her anger abating slightly, but her pain and defensiveness still strong.

"I don't..."

"_Cher_, if you really like someone, you want the first time with them to be special. If you don't really like them but maybe you're attracted to them, then you don't bother so much. If you had said yes to my suggestion, I'd have known that you don't really care for me."

As counter intuitive as that sounded, Rogue understood what he meant and couldn't help the very smile that crept onto her lips. "You're forgetting the third option, swamp rat, that maybe I really don't like you?"

"Nah." That familiar twinkle that she liked so much returned to Remy's eyes. "How could you not like _moi_?"

"You got confidence, Cajun, I'll give you that." Though she had wondered on more than one occasion if his charm and confidence were just a cover, hiding his true feelings.

An awkward silence formed between them, punctuated only the horses hoof beats and the ambient noise of those around them. The merriment in Remy's eyes dimmed and he found himself needing to look away from her.

"I can't go back with you, _cher_." It seemed like the confession pained him but for the life of her, she couldn't understand why.

"Why not?"

"Because your inhibitor collar doesn't work long term."

"What? Remy, this isn't about us, this is about doing the right thing! How can you even think of sex at a time"

Her ire was raised once again, but his next words deflated it almost as quickly as a pin would a balloon.

"Not for you, _cher_, the collar'd be for me."

Her jaw dropped open, then she did a rather good impression of a fish as she tried to find the words to ask what he meant.

Before she could form a coherent question though, Remy asked the driver to pull over, paid him and helped Rogue down from the carriage. They walked down the street together then, side by side but alone, neither one speaking. They found themselves entering Jackson Square, which was fairly empty at this time of night and afforded them some privacy.

Rogue sighed. "Remy, I don't understand what's going on?"

"Probably best, _cher_."

"But... Why do you always have to speak in riddles?"

Remy was silent for a long time but when he did answer, it wasn't what she'd been expecting.

"I'm ashamed, _cher,__" _he admitted. "I see it in your eyes sometimes, that you know the truth about me but you don't want to believe it."

"I don't believe it. The man I know isn't capable if those things."

Remy stopped and looked down at her. "But I am, and I did all those things. And if you want to know the truth, I'd do it again. I'm a monster, _cher_, and monsters don't get happy endings."

"But..."

He walked away and she watched him for a moment before running after after him.

"If you really were a monster, you wouldn't feel shame, Remy. If you did do those things, you want to change, I know you do."

Her tempter was rising as he crushed her hopes, and he hated himself even more.

"It's not a choice, _cher_, not for me."

"Remy. I don't understand what you're trying to say!"

Once again he turned to face her, his eyes full of longing. He raised a hand to her hair and pushed a loose strand strand behind her ear, taking care not to touch her skin.

"I'm not who you think I am, Rogue, and I never will be. Now it's time that you went back to New York and faced reality; I'm never going to be the man that you want me to be."

This time as he walked away, Rogue didn't follow.

* * *

Remy made his way to the top of the closest building and turned to watch Rogue below. She still hadn't moved, as though frozen in shock. Finally she seemed to break out of her catatonia and wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was cold, despite the warm evening.

Finally she turned and headed home, and Remy vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, watching to make sure that she got home safely. Once in her suite, he watched her from the roof top of the building across the road as she finally broke down in tears.

Soon his own eyes began to sting, but he couldn't tell if he was crying for himself, or for her. She had to go, he wouldn't be allowed to keep her, or join her, but he simply couldn't face losing her, not completely.

* * *

Rogue had three more days on her rental but she couldn't stay in New Orleans any longer, it just hurt too much to stay in his city.

She had failed. For all her promises and bravado to Logan, she couldn't do it, couldn't convince one man to join their team.

But that wasn't what really pained her and given a choice of New York, where a disappointed Logan awaited her, or New Orleans, where Remy had rejected her, she chose New York.

She was supposed to call for the jet when she was ready to leave but she needed some time before she faced everyone, so she caught the train instead.

She didn't feel better by the time she got back to the mansion, but she did have her emotions more in control. Rogue was good at repression and she thought that the only thing her friends would notice was that she had a shorter temper than usual, which wasn't exactly unusual for Rogue.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" she called as she opened the main door.

"Rogue!" Kitty ran out of the library and grinned at her. "You're back early!"

"Either that or Wolverine just got a whole lot prettier," she teased.

"Rogue, how delightful to have you back." Hank said as he came into the hallway. "I was just about to make some tea. Could use some refreshment after your long journey?"

"Yeah, thanks." She followed Hank into the kitchen.

"So why didn't you call for the jet?" Kitty asked. "Forge wanted to give the Blackbird a run. He's upgraded the stealth technology and wanted to test it."

"I just didn't want to bother you all."

"It's no bother, Rogue," Kitty laughed for a moment, then grew serious. "But I guess you didn't convince Gambit?"

Rogue shook her head as she dropped her bags and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Sorry," Kitty sympathised. "But maybe you can try again!"

"I don't think it's going to work," Rogue admitted.

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I just feel like... something's missing."

"How so?"

"Like there's something huge and obvious right in front of me but I can't see it, and when I realise what it is, everything else will fall into place and make sense."

Hank interrupted them and placed a mug of tea in front it Rogue and Kitty, for which they thanked him.

"Speaking of missing pieces, Charles has finally discovered something relevant."

Rogue's interest was piqued.

"It seems that Gambit will steal a number of artefacts, all of which were designed to prevent Apocalypse awakening, or stop him if he should arise."

Rogue hung her head, that was not the piece of the puzzle that she needed.

"When did Logan learn that?" Kitty asked.

"Yesterday morning."

"And we're just hearing about this now!" Kitty sounded scandalised.

"Relax, Kitty, the first of these thefts is still five months away. Plenty of time to plan ahead."

"But does that mean that he, like, works for Apocalypse?"

_'Well, he did say he'd sold his soul,' _Rogue thought.

"Apocalypse is not awake yet, so probably not," Hank argued.

"But why steal that stuff then."

"He was probably hired by one of one of Apocalypse's followers."

Rogue decided to slip away while they were still talking. He didn't matter to Rogue who he worked for, if indeed it was anyone, what mattered to her was why he was fighting redemption. He wasn't a bad man, she'd bet her life on that, so why was he so intent on staying a monster?"

* * *

Logan hadn't even enquired after her, so Rogue had stayed in her room all evening. If he couldn't be civil, then she didn't why she should seek him out for a dressing down, so he had to wait until the morning briefing to judge her, though he had surely learned that she had been unsuccessful the night before.

"Well, that was a whole lot of time and money blown for nothing," Logan said, giving her a pointed look. "I thought you said you could handle it!"

"If you think you can do any better, feel free to try. I promise I won't be upset when you show me up."

Everyone knew that Logan stood less than zero chance of recruiting the Cajun. Kitty and Bobby tried to hide their smiles, while Logan simply gave a huff and moved the meeting on.

Rogue got that he was stressed, she understood that he, well they, had just saved the world, only to now learn that they might be worse off, but that wasn't an excuse for being rude. Unless your name was Rogue, then it was perfectly acceptable.

She listened to the rest of the briefing in silence. Hank told them what he had learned about the history of some of the artefacts Charles had told them about, and Forge told them about some new gizmo's that would make this better and that faster and yada, yada, yada.

After that she had training sessions with some of the new students that the school was accepting, then her own training session with the X-Men.

She was just going through the motions really, walking through her life, laughing, sighing and smiling in the right places but not really feeling anything.

She retired to bed early that evening, not really sure what she wanted to do but knowing that being around other people was making her temper shorter than usual. She flopped down onto her bed and began channel hopping, finally settling for a rerun of A Few Good Men.

She heard a ringing phone, but it wasn't her ring tone so she ignored it. The second time it began to ring she realised that no one had answered the first time, so she got up to see where it was coming from. Oddly, he seemed to come from her underwear drawer. She opened it and rummaged around until she brought out a small cell phone. She opened it, curious and slightly excited, though she daren't admit it.

"Hello?"

"_Bon Soir, ma cher_."

"Remy!" She couldn't stop the silly grin on her face. "How on earth-"

"Best not ask too many questions, hm, _cher_? Suffice to say that your mansion security could do with some updates."

"Where are you?"

"In a dingy hotel, 'bout half way home. How did things go for you?"

"Oh well, you know Logan."

"Indeed I do, but I'll bet you gave as good as you got, _non_?"

"Maybe." she let out a long sigh.

"Something wrong, _ma_ _cher_?"

"No, not really. I just feel... restless."

"Me too," he admitted.

"I wish I could see you."

"Me too, _cher_, but clandestine phone calls is all we're going to get. That phone can't be traced, by the way, only use that to call me, and only call the phone number I programmed into it, okay?"

"Um, sure?" His request confused her.

"It's not paranoia if they are out to get you, Rogue."

"Who's out to get you?"

"Oh no, we're not going down that road again."

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about?"

"What are you wearing?" he asked in his most seductive tone.

"Remy!"

"Okay then," she could hear the merriment in his voice. "What are you watching?"

"A Few Good Men."

"Oh, I love that movie. What channel?"

She told him and he changed station so they were watching together.

"You've gotta love Jack Nicholson," Remy said.

"He's a great actor," Rogue agreed.

"Actually I was thinking that he keeps getting older but he stays sexy."

Rogue giggled. "Figures that he's your role model."

"Remy don't have no role model, _cher_, he's one of a kind. But I do give praise where it's due. Let me guess, I'll bet you're a Tom Cruise fan, _non_?"

"Ew, please! I'd rather have Jack Nicholson over him. Though Kevin Bacon's not bad."

"Ugh, he always reminds me of Sebastian Shaw."

"Who?"

"Just a very bad man, _cher_."

Their conversation carried on in a similar fashion until the end of the movie, when they found another one to watch together, this time Scream. When they finally hung up, Rogue saw that they'd been talking for three hours. The restlessness that had plagued her earlier was long forgotten and she settled down into a deep and tranquil sleep.

They spoke most evenings after that but Rogue was careful to keep it a secret. She could tell that Loagn was becoming suspicious but whenever she heard his footsteps coming along the hall, she used Kitty's power to phase through the floor and into the laundry room below. The others in the mansion just thought that she was being her typical loner self, and she was happy to perpetuate that myth.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Though the situation with the MRD didn't deteriorate into war in the future, they were still a big problem. Recently the MRD had stolen thousands of vials of the so-called mutant cure from Worthington Labs, and were planning to use it against their captured mutants.

While the X-Men didn't want the cure destroyed, after all it was every mutants right to choose, they also couldn't allow it to fall into the hands of the MRD.

Surprisingly, it wasn't being stored in a known MRD base, but somewhere new. Tonight they were raiding the warehouse that it had been tracked to, with the intention of taking the cure back or destroying it.

Rogue had only mentioned the basics to Remy during their phone calls, that someone had stolen some of the cure and they were stealing it back, so she was surprised when Remy's phone (as she'd come to call it) vibrated in the pocket of her uniform. She excused herself and went to use the blackbird lavatory.

"Remy?" she whispered, though there wasn't much chance of the others hearing her conversation over the sound of the engines.

"Be careful, _cher_," he said by way of a greeting. "This cure you're going after, it's guarded by mutants, so be watch yourself."

"How do you know that?"

"In my line of work, I hear things. Just passing it on."

"Thank you."

"Take care?" he asked.

"Promise."

"Call me when you get home, I don't care how late."

"Okay. I l- I mean, I will. Bye, Remy."

Had she really been about to tell him that she loved him? Was she crazy? If anything was going to drive a guy like Remy away, it was declarations of undying love. It was probably just adrenalin, she reasoned, the upcoming battle amping up her emotions or something.

She put the phone away and headed back to her seat. Now she had a decision to make; tell the others that she was in contact with Remy, or let them find out for themselves that mutants were guarding the cure.

Even if she did come clean, there was no saying that they would trust Remy, so in the end she decided to say nothing.

"What's up?" Kitty asked as she sat back down, noticing how tense she was.

"I just have a bad feeling, that's all. Be careful, won't you? Everyone."

They disembarked a little way from the base and made their way to the fence around the compound in two groups. One group was heading to south fence, while Kitty, Kurt and Rogue to the west fence. The idea was that the first team would provide a distraction while the smaller team teleported the cure out. Of course, that was the plan, and plans rarely come off flawlessly.

Rogue and the others made it safely to the warehouse building only to be confronted by Angel, though now he called himself Archangel. If there had been other people here, they had clearly been sent outside to face the the other X-Men, so the good new was that Angel was alone. The bad news was that he was standing between them and the boxes marked 'Worthington Labs' which were stacked against a wall, so they couldn't teleport behind them.

"Warren?" Rogue stepped forward, hoping to be able to reason with him.

"You are not welcome here. Leave now."

"Warren, it's us, your friends!" Kurt tried.

In reply, warren unfurled his wings and launched a barrage of razor sharp feathers at them. Kurt grabbed Rogue and teleported them both behind a pallet, while Kitty phased so the blades passed straight through her. Rogue could call on Kitty's power herself, or Kurt's for that matter, but the problem was that trying to recall someone else's power took a lot of concentration, so doing so in a combat situation was unpredictable at best.

Rogue and Kurt tried running from pallet to pallet, dodging the projectiles that Kurt was throwing their way, but they weren't getting very far.

"Come on!" Kitty ran up to them and took their hands, intending to phase them all the way over to the cure. Unfortunately her control wasn't perfect for long periods especially with two other people to phase, so they had to dive behind another pallet as a feather sliced a cut in Rogues upper arm.

"Sorry," Kitty said, biting her lip.

"Now what?" Kurt asked.

"Even if we get over there, we can't get the cure out of here with Warren around." Rogue peaked over the boxes, only to duck back a moment later as a barrage of razor sharp feathers headed her way. "Can you teleport me just behind him?" Rogue asked Kurt.

Kurt nodded and took her hand, then he peaked out from behind the boxed so he could see where he was going, then they disappeared, reappearing in the air just behind Angel. Rogue grabbed onto Angel as she fell, her hands grabbing his face, the only exposed skin.

She cried out as she absorbed him and was assaulted with awful memories. It was like he was trapped, watching himself hurt his friends but little more than a puppet. The strength of his anger nearly overwhelmed her and she swooned as she let go, almost passing out.

"Rogue!" Kitty cried, running over to her.

Kurt was already beside her, holding her upright. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She pushed Kurt off for fear of hurting him too, and leaned against the wall of boxes for support. "You just see about getting this back to the jet, Kurt. Kitty and I are going to carry Angel back."

"We're taking him with us?" Kitty sounded aghast.

"He's one of us, Kitty, of course we're taking him with us." She stepped away from the boxes, pleased to see that Kurt had already made one trip with the cure. "You want arms or legs?" Rogue asked as she headed toward Angel. Suddenly cried out and fell to her knees as the most terrible pain ripped through her back.

"Rogue, you're growing wings!"

She hadn't anticipated that. Since Warren's wings were artificial now, she hadn't thought that they wouldn't transfer to her. His original wings though, a product of his mutation, well she'd forgotten to factor that in. She heard her uniform rip as the wings refused to be contained.

It took about two minutes for the pain to subside and Rogue was left panting from the experience. Before she could do anything else, Logan fell through the warehouse roof, landing not far from them. Seconds later it became clear that he had been thrown through by Blockbuster.

Rogue didn't like their chances of getting past Wolverine and Blockbuster unharmed, so she looked to the metal roof. She could probably fit through the large hole that Wolverine had left there. She picked Angel up in her arms, pleased that she had also been given a little additional strength from having absorbed Angel. Nowhere near as much as if she absorbed someone like Logan, but enough for what she had in mind.

"Hold onto my waist, Kitty, and if anything comes our way, phase us. Got it?"

Kitty did as she was told but judging by the scream she issued when Rogue took off, clearly she hadn't been with the program.

"Kitty, quiet!" Rogue chastised as they cleared the building. Her screams were drawing attention to them.

She saw vertigo turn towards them and Rogue dived at her. A wave of nausea hit her, but she still barrelled into the other woman, knocking her out cold. Kitty let go as they tumbled along the ground. Rogue stood up, shaking her dizziness off, then picked Warren up again.

"Come on, Kitty."

"I- I'm gonna go back with the others."

It looked like the fight was nearly over, so Rogue agreed. She took off again and made it back to the blackbird without incident. Kurt was just teleporting in with another load of the cure.

"How much is left?" she asked.

"Four more loads," he said, disappearing again. Rogue secured Angel then headed up to the cockpit, preparing to take off once Kurt was finished. Once he was done, Rogue took off, heading back to the base to collect the others. The few Marauders who needed finishing off were quickly despatched by Kurt, who teleported them into the air and dropped them. Then the X-Men ran for the jet and as soon as everyone was on board, Rogue headed home at top speed.

"Nice wings," Bobby said, not even trying to hide his grin.

"Yeah." Rogue snorted. She had admired Angle's wings but now that she had them, all she could think was how hard it was to sit comfortably, and how difficult it would be to get clothes to fit.

No one spoke much on the return journey, though Beast did as through a check up as he could on Angel, given the limited equipment he had, while Storm looked on, worried.

Back at the base, Beast, Storm and Forge took Angel to the med lab, intent on trying to reverse what had been done to him.

"He might have been a friend," Logan warned Hank, "but until we can block that mind control, treat him as an enemy, don't underestimate him!"

Beast nodded.

Rogue wondered what do to with herself and her new wings. Her uniform would have to be cut off, unless she wanted to break her wings, but no one seemed inclined to volunteer to help. Well, Bobby probably would have just to see a naked lady, but a naked Rogue was something that none of the others were willing to get too close to. She couldn't really blame them but she was in a bad mood so she did anyway, quietly seething as she stormed through the mansion.

She collected some large scissors from the kitchen, then made her way up to her room. She was tired, she was bruised and she was freaked out. Beautiful or not, the wings were definitely disconcerting and she hoped that they didn't last long.

Her frown turned into a smile though, as she felt Remy's phone vibrate in her pocket. She closed and locked her door, then answered it.

"Are you alone?" he asked so quietly that Rogue could hardly hear him.

"Yes." She jumped as her closet doors opened and Remy stepped out.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, while at the same time falling into his arms.

"I was worried, _cher_. I was on my way here when I called you earlier. I thought I might be too late."

"Too late for what?" she asked.

"To stop you."

Rogue pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. She didn't want to face this but she had to. There was only one conclusion she could reach.

"Are you a Marauder?"

"No!" he sounded defensive.

"But you do work for Sinister, right? That's how you knew that mutants were guarding the cure."

Remy sighed. Unable to say the words that would disappoint her, he simply nodded and hung his head.

"But why, Remy, why would you work for a man like that?"

Remy pulled away and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I don't have a choice, _cher_."

"But if you join us, we can protect you!"

"And who would protect you from me?" he asked sadly.

"I don't understand,"

"I know, and I'm hoping that you never will."

"Why is Sinister working with the MRD anyway?" she tried a different tack.

"Why do you think? Divide and conquer."

Rogue's mind was spinning at a hundred miles an hour.

"So does he worship Apocalypse?"

Remy gave her a sharp look. "How do you know about that?"

"He does!" Rogue couldn't picture Sinister being anyone's follower, so his confirmation surprised her.

"Rogue, you can't know that and if Sinister finds out that you know, he will take you down. All of you if necessary."

"But why is he working for Apocalypse? It doesn't make any sense."

"Makes perfect sense to the insane mind."

Rogue looked at him. "What do you know?"

"Not much, just bits and pieces from overheard conversations, and a lot of guess work, but nothing that I can tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because the more you know, the more danger you're in."

"Remy, it's my job to stop people like him." _'And you,'_ she added silently.

"That doesn't stop me worrying about you."

"And you don't think that I worry about you? I don't know what you're involved with, but I know it scares you. How do you think that makes me feel?"

They both knew that there would be no answer to this argument, so Remy tried to change the subject.

"I don't suppose you'd consider a change in career to something safe, like sales?"

"Safe? Have you heard what Logan does to cold callers at the mansion?" It seemed she too had decided to lighten the mood. "And only if you'd consider a career as a male stripper."

Remy raised an eyebrow. "I think I'd much rather be a gigolo, with you as my only client."

Which of course only reminded her that she could never touch anyone, especially in that way. She sighed and after a little adjusting of her wings, sat down beside him on the bed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know you're not a bad person and you must have a good reason for working for him. I just wish you could trust me enough to tell me what it is."

Remy smiled slightly, then looked to her wings. "This is new."

Rogue shrugged. She knew it was another diversionary tactic but she didn't push things. "Yeah, I'm hoping that they don't last long."

"I kind of like them," he smirked. "They're make you look like the angel that you are."

"They're annoying is what they are. And now I have to cut my uniform off."

"Let me," he said. He took his index finger and ran it down the back of her uniform, from the neck to the top on one wing. She felt heat, then heard a kind of sizzling sound as the material separated. He did the same thing on the other side, which allowed Rogue to unzip the front and shrug her uniform off.

Remy could see that her bra also wouldn't come off easily, and held up a finger by way of an offer. Rogue hesitated, then turned her back and crossed her arms over her breasts. He gently charged each bra strap until they snapped.

"Thanks," she said, then ran into her bathroom. Unfortunately in her haste to protect her modesty, she had forgotten to bring any new clothes in with her. She opened the bathroom door a crack. "Remy? Could you hand me a big T-shirt from my dresser? The biggest you can find. And some sweatpants maybe?"

"You go all out for company, don't you, _cher_," he teased, then a few moments later handed her what she asked for.

"Thanks."

She emerged a few minutes later with the top part of her wings hidden under her T-shirt, her hair down and brushed and her face scrubbed clean. He smiled and opened his arms to her. She wasn't wearing much but he still had his trench-coat on, so she eagerly fell into his embrace once more.

"I missed you," he said, pressing a kiss onto her hair.

"I missed you too. Can you stay for a while?"

"Tonight, I'm all yours, _cher_, but tomorrow I have to go home again."

After a lot of adjusting, they finally found a comfortable position on the bed. Remy lay straight, propped up on her pillows, while Rogue lay mostly on her front and cuddled into him. It was the only way she could lie where she wouldn't be crushing her wings, which wasn't exactly pleasant.

They turned an old movie on, something black and white and lay silently in each others arms; together but alone, both uncomfortably aware that they were on opposite sides of the same fight.

* * *

Rogue awoke the next morning to two pleasant and two unpleasant realisations.

The first was that Remy was gone. She hadn't exactly expected him to hang around and have breakfast with the X-Men, but it still stung a little that he had left in the middle of the night.

Her next realisation was that her wings had gone, which would make dressing a whole lot easier.

When she sat up, she noticed the playing card on her night stand, the queen of hearts. She picked it up and smiled; so maybe he had run out, but it didn't look like he had wanted to.

Finally her spirits sank again as she realised that she could no longer keep her relationship with him (if you could even call it that) a secret from the rest of the X-Men. The trust she had earned back was still tentative and if she wasn't honest with them now, they may never trust her again.

She was mostly silent through breakfast and throughout the de-briefing after that. They hadn't really learned much last night, but they had got the cure back and destroyed it. Hank however, had a lot to report on Angel. While there was still much that he didn't know, such as how Sinister was controlling Warren, he did know that the change in Warren was a combination of advanced technology and DNA splicing, done using modified a retro-vitus. He had also noticed that as well as the obvious physical changes, Angel's lymbic system seemed to have been stimulated to increase anger and aggression, though as yet Hank couldn't say how or why. For the time being, Angel was being kept heavily sedated.

"Can we use any of this?" Logan asked when he was finished.

"I believe I can come up with a vaccine for the retro-virus, which should prevent the gene splicing from working on anyone who has taken it."

"Will it help Angel?" Storm asked.

"No, a vaccine is useless after the fact," Hank answered honestly. "But do not give up hope yet, I still have many avenues to pursue."

"All right," Logan said with finality. "Meeting adj-"

"Actually, I have something to say," Rogue said softly, almost hoping that no one heard. She wasn't that lucky though, as everyone turned to face her.

"Well?" Logan sounded impatient after she hadn't continued for a few moments.

"I'm still in contact with Gambit," she admitted. "After I got back here, he sent me a phone and we've been calling each other every night."

Logan leaned back in his seat and regarded her. "That's not all, is it?"

Rogue shook her head. "I knew there would be other mutants there last night because Remy warned me."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bobby wanted to know.

"Like you would have believed me if I'd told you the truth."

No one could refute that point.

"I thought that telling you to be extra careful was the best I could do."

"Okay, so how did Gambit know that?" Logan cut to the chase.

"Because he works for Sinsiter," she admitted, her lead lowering even further.

"He what?" Storm was angry.

"Gambit?" Kitty asked.

"But why would he attack Genosha if he works for Sinister?" Kurt asked.

"How much did he tell you?" Scott wanted to know.

"Quiet!" Logan yelled. "Rogue?"

She took a deep breath and prepared to lay all her cards on the table.

"I know y'all hate him but I don't think he's actually that bad of a guy. I don't think he wants to work for Sinister, in fact I'd say that he hates the man but for some reason, he is compelled to do what Sinister wants."

"Compelled like Angel?" Hank asked.

"No, more like being blackmailed or something. He say a lot of weird things which don't really make sense, but he keeps saying that he doesn't have a choice. And as for bombing Genosha, Remy said that Sinister's plan is to divide and conquer."

"So you're saying that Sinister was backing Senator Kelly?" Logan asked.

"I don't know, but it it makes sense. If the humans and the mutants are fighting, then it'll be easier for him to... resurrect Apocalypse while we're distracted."

"Sinister works for Apocalypse?" Logan got to his feet.

"But why would Sinister attack mutants?" Kurt asked. "He believes mutants are the future, no?"

"Some mutants," Scott said darkly. "He only likes the powerful or the gifted ones."

"And even then, he doesn't 'like' them as such," Jean added in a quiet voice.

They talked among themselves for a few moments, and Rogue was glad to be out of the spotlight.

"How do we know this relationship isn't just a ruse to get inside information on the X-Men?" Scott finally asked, turning to Rogue.

"Because one, I'm not a fool and two, I wouldn't tell him anything like that!" Rogue's anger was flaring.

"Didn't stop you setting us up when you were with the brotherhood."

Rogue gasped at his accusation. "I had to do that, Scott! I had to gain their trust. Perhaps if I felt like I could trust y'all, I might have told you what the plan was!"

"Enough!" Logan called, silencing them. "Rogue, you obviously told Remy about getting the cure back or he wouldn't have called."

"Yes, but I didn't give him any specifics! He only knew what I meant because of what he already knew!"

"You still shared information with the enemy."

"He was trying to help me; help us! He didn't have to warm me but he risked his own neck to do so, and if he really meant us harm, he'd have told Sinister, who would have amassed an army or something."

"Or maybe he had to gain your trust, like you did when you helped the brotherhood set us up."

"That's where you're wrong," she said sadly. "He already has my trust."

Logan scoffed and Rogue's anger surfaced once again.

"Logan, if he really wished us harm, he could have done so both times he broke in here."

"Both times?" Kurt asked. "But he only took the collar-"

"I mean both times since I got back from New Orleans."

"What did you say?" Logan's claws popped out.

"You heard me!" She refused to be intimidated. "He came all the way up here because he was worried about me and he spent last night in my room, if you really must know!"

She got a perverse thrill from the shocked expressions around the table.

"Then why didn't I smell him?" Logan demanded.

Rogue had wondered that herself. "I don't know, but he was here." She pulled the queen of hearts out of her pocket and put it down on the table.

"That could come from any deck of cards." Logan argued.

Rogue rolled her eyes. "It could, but it didn't."

Logan looked to Hank.

"I'll run some tests," Hank said, carefully picking the card up by it's edges. Rogue reached for it to stop him but Logan's claws blocked her hand as they slammed into the table top, millimetres from her fingers.

Rogue looked up, shocked. Never in all the time she'd known him had he threatened her like that, not even when she had joined the brotherhood. If Logan hadn't been so angry, the look she gave him would have broken his heart but there would be time enough for him to regret his actions later. For now Rogue ran from the room, hurt and for the first time ever, a little scared of Logan.

She heard him ordering everyone to check out the mansion to make sure Remy hadn't stolen anything or left anything behind, like listening devices.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ishandahalf, kunfupandalover & aina akkarin**: thanks for the support! Hope you continue to enjoy it.

**Fostersb**: I'm afraid things will get worse before they get better!

**Warrior-princess1980**: Nope, Logan sucks right now! But maybe not forever.

**Devil Danielle Diaries**: Nope, Remy is innocent, well, of spying on the X-Men anyway. Hopefully there are enough twists and turns in the future to keep you interested!

**EnglishRose28**: Yes, sorry about the errors. I am dyslexic but I've had so many bad experiences with beta's that I've stopped using them. On more than one occasion, fics have come back littered with more errors that they had to start with. I have a professional editor and proofreader for my published works (obviously), but it would cost about £240 for my average fanfic, and I just cant afford or justify that service for these stories. Sorry. If you point out any errors, I'm happy to correct them (though i realise that is quite a commitment). And I'm glad you're enjoying it and hope that the errors aren't too distracting.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"Rogue?"

She ignored Kitty, turning over on her bed so that her back was to the door. Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid Kitty when she wanted to be persistent and sure enough, a few moments later she phased through the door.

"Go away."

"I can't." Kitty actually sounded. "Logan wants me to, get the phone that Gambit gave you."

"It's in my bra," Rogue sniffed. "Tell him to come and get it himself if he's brave enough."

She expected Kitty to leave, so she was surprised when she sat down next to Rogue on the bed.

"I'm sorry," she said, resting her hand on Rogue's arm.

"That I'm a traitor?"

"You're not a traitor Rogue. I meant I'm sorry that the others won't hear you out."

Rogue turned over and gave Kitty a piercing look.

"What is this, good cop, bad cop."

Kitty shook her head and held her hand out. "Absorb me if you don't believe me."

Rogue pulled a glove off and reached her hand towards Kitty's. She had no intention of touching the girl, but Kitty wasn't exactly good at hiding her emotions so if she was lying, Rogue would soon see the panic in her face.

Kitty kept her serene expression, so Rogue withdrew her hand.

"I believe you," Rogue said, slipping her glove back on.

Kitty smiled sadly. "So, what now?"

"I don't know," Rogue shrugged.

"You won't leave, will you?"

"No! Kitty, no man could make me turn my back on what I believe."

"Good." Kitty grabbed her hand and tried to haul her off the bed. "So let's go and see the professor."

"What?"

"The professor. He's already on your side, he wants Gambit to join the team."

Rogue had almost forgotten that, and hope blossomed in her heart again.

* * *

"I'm afraid, Rogue, that I still know very few details about how Gambit aided Sinister. I have discovered his thefts while under Sinister's employ, but I cannot believe that they alone won or lost this war."

"But can't you convince Logan to at least give Remy a chance?"

"I have been trying, but even if he was willing to giving him another chance, Gambit is not yet willing to accept that opportunity."

Rogues sighed and Kitty put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't give up, Rogue. You are the most, headstrong, obstinate, foolhardy, bullheaded and stubborn woman I know-"

Rogue looked at Kitty like she was insane. Why was she being insulted in an attempt to cheer her up?

"-if anyone can get Remy to change sides and Logan to give him a chance, it's you."

Rogue couldn't help but smile and feel reassured by her words.

"Kitty is correct Rogue," The professor said, unable to stop himself smiling at her rather odd pep talk. "It is you that brings Remy to the X-Men, though sadly in my time, too late to change the outcome of things."

"Thanks," Rogue nodded. "I'll keep trying."

* * *

Remy arrived back in New Orleans the next morning, after a full day of travelling. He was so exhausted that he collapsed into his bed, fully clothed. He was awoken far too early by his brother, knocking on his door.

"It's open," Remy called, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"You okay?" Henri asked as he came in.

Remy just nodded, then he spotted the envelope in Henri's hands and remembered the reason for his 24 hour drive home.

"He knows I was gone?" Remy asked.

Henri shrugged and handed him the envelope. Remy opened it and read the contents.

"He wants to see me," Remy said, his heart sinking. "I have to go."

Remy was still dressed, so he simply pulled his trench coat back on and headed for the door.

"Remy?"

He stopped.

"Is there no hope?"

Remy turned to look at Henri.

"_Non_," he said sadly.

"Can't those mutants help you?"

Remy couldn't let them risk their lives for him. "_Non, mon frère_. Just look after yourself and the family for me," he asked, silently adding, _'Père can't afford to lose both sons.'_

* * *

"You left town," Sinister said, his penetrating gaze on Remy.

"Had to get away for a while," he answered, with his best poker face on. Every meeting with Sinister was a battle of wills; Sinister wanting to break Remy's, and Remy determined not to let him.

Sinister continued to regard him for a few moments.

"I wish I could read your mind," he lamented, not for the first time.

"I'm glad you can't," Remy offered his standard reply. He couldn't afford to deviate from the norm.

Sinister waited a few more moments before he gave up on trying to 'read' his wayward helper.

"I want you to free Magneto." Sinister finally got to the reason that Remy had been summoned.

When he was exiled from Genosha, the MRD had captured Erik and so far, managed to keep him.

"Why?" Remy needed to know what was going on. First he was stealing the cure for the MRD, to be used against mutants, now he was freeing mutants from the MRD. He knew in general terms that Sinister wanted power, he just couldn't see the whole picture yet.

Still, it wasn't unusual of Remy to question his missions and sometimes when Sinister was relaxed, he might even answer. Today was not one of those times.

"That is none of your concern. He is being held in the Virginia base. You are to take Blockbuster, Arclight and Vertigo with you. You have two weeks to accomplish this."

Remy worked alone and he didn't understand why he was being sent with others. Plus, Blockbuster and Archlight weren't exactly known for stealth.

"It'll be cleaner if I go alone."

"This is not a democracy," Sinister snapped. "I don't want this to be quiet, I want the world to know that the MRD cannot hold one of the worlds most dangerous mutants."

Remy sighed and left.

* * *

As he studied the plans for the MRD base, Remy realised why he was being sent on what he would term a destruction mission. While Blockbuster and Arclight could bring almost any building down, and Vertigo could handle any humans, the MRD wasn't stupid. Knowing that people were likely to try and rescue Magneto, they had put a lot of security in place that if triggered would do a number of things, from simply hitting Magneto with knock-out gas should the magnetic sensor be triggered, to blowing the whole base up if an earthquake above 3.0 was registered! Remy had to disable all these security systems before Erik could be rescued.

The security was good and they seemed to have thought of everything, but Remy was better. They had never thought that a simple human might try and break Magneto out, without the use of powers, so they hadn't secured against the kind of skills that Remy had. His power was bowing things up, but the mark of a good thief was that they left no trace, so Remy didn't often use his powers on a job, and when he did use them, it was nothing that regular people didn't have tools to accomplish.

After a week of studying the plans, Remy was ready to go.

* * *

Rogue was in the rec room watching an awful rom-com when Logan stormed in.

"Suit up, we've got reports of mutants hitting an MRD base in Virginia."

Everyone ran to get changed and onto the Blackbird.

Unfortunately Kurt and Storm were in Genosha, Kurt visiting Wanda and Storm an old friend who lived there. Hank couldn't leave his research, Jean was assisting him in overcoming Angel's mind control and Forge was useless in battle. That only left Logan, Rogue, Kitty, Bobby and Cyclops. Not exactly a full team but it would have to do.

Facts were thin so Logan waited until they were at the base before issuing orders. Blockbuster and Archlight were between them destroying the building, so Logan divided the team into two, one for each Marauder. Rogue, Kitty and Cyclops faced Archlight while Logan and Bobby took Blockbuster.

Things were going in the X-men's favour, until Erik was freed.

* * *

Remy bypassed the final security sensor and let out a long breath. That was the hard part done, now he and Vertigo just had to get Magneto. His plastic cell was easy enough to find because Remy had studied this facility until he knew it like the back of his hand. While he charged part of the wall to act as a door, Vertigo called the others.

"The security's knocked out and Mags nearly is free. You can start destroying this place, but leave the west wing until last, okay? Give us time to get out."

She hung up just as Remy's charge exploded, leaving a neat square hole in the wall. Vertigo smiled at Magneto.

"Ready to go, old man?" she asked Erik, who smiled.

"I would be offended and tell you how rude that remark was, but since you did set me free I'll overlook it, just this once."

"Whatever," Remy interrupted. "Come on, we need to go."

Moments later they heard and felt the building rumble and hastened their step.

Magneto had been kept deep underground and it took a while for them to climb all the steps back to the ground floor. Since the whole building was made from non metallic meterials, there wasn't a lift they could use. It didn't slow Remy down too much, but Magneto wasn't exactly a spring chicken any more.

Between them, Remy and Vertigo quickly disabled any guards that they encountered, then moments before they left the stairwell, Vertigo received word that the X-men were here and all three of them were all needed to help repel the attack. Remy pulled out his telescopic bo-staff and extended it, unable to believe his bad luck.

He had always known that he and Rogue would face each other on opposing sides eventually, but he had hoped for more time before that happened.

They burst out of the building into the middle of the fray, and Remy found himself face to face with Rogue!

Shocked, he just stared at her for a moment, until she took a step towards him. He simply wouldn't fight her, he couldn't, so he pushed her away and used his staff to vault over her, landing on Cyclops.

Rogue landed roughly on the ground, something hard scraping her forehead but she shook the shock off and tried to get to her feet. She was quickly overcome by Vertigo, and had to fight against the dizziness and sickness to literally crawl over to the other woman. With a little help from Kitty, who distracted her, Rogue was finally able to touch Vertigo, knocking her out.

She then turned to see that Scott was on the ground, hurt. Magneto had disabled Wolverine by pinning him up against a wall, while Bobby was only just getting back to his feet.

And then they were gone, flying away courtesy of Magneto, leaving a stunned team of X-men in their wake. Finally Magneto released his hold on Wolverine.

"Let's go!" Logan yelled, "before the authorities get here!"

They headed to the Blackbird and back to the X-Men base. They all knew that the fight was over when Magneto entered the fray. They couldn't even give chase in the Blackbird since it was made of metal.

No one was very happy as they headed back to the mansion. Most because they had failed to stop the Marauders. Rogue because she was beginning to doubt her faith in Remy.

She felt her phone vibrate in it's hiding place and when she was alone, saw that she had a text message. _'Meet me at Aeon House, the roof'_.

* * *

Rogue stepped onto the rooftop of the office block to see Remy sitting at the edge, his back to her and smoke rising from his cigarette.

When she got his text, she had debated for a long time over whether to come or not, but eventually she knew that she needed to hear what he had to say.

"Remy?"

He turned to her and something flashed in his eyes as he saw the gash on her forehead. Hank had treated it assured her it wasn't deep, but it looked pretty bad. Remy got up and made his way over to her. He reached one hand out towards her forehead, but then he hesitated and withdrew his hand.

Rogue had so much that she wanted to ask, yet still she didn't know what to say to him.

"You wanted to see me?" she said, deciding to let him start things off.

His eyes moved from her lips to her eyes, to her forehead, then his expression hardened again.

"I need the phone back," he told her, taking a step away and holding his hand out for it.

"What? Why?"

"Because you've served your purpose, and that is an expensive phone."

"W- what?"

"Oh, come on, _cher_, you didn't really think I liked you, did you?"

"Don't say that!"

"Why not, it's the truth. You were a means to an end, and now that I have what I need, it's over."

"You don't mean that!" she argued, her temper beginning to rise.

"I mean every word." His features had grown harder as he spoke, until he almost looked like a different person. Gone was the boyish smile, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes, the warm glow he usually seemed to have. Instead she was looking into the cold, hard eyes of someone she could barely recognise.

"Remy, this isn't you talking, what's going on?"

Remy laughed but it was mirthless.

"What's going on? Now you ask that question? Oh _cher_, you are priceless!"

"Remy, talk to me!"

"Yeah, I guess talk is just about all you can do, isn't it? Did you honestly believe that someone like me would ever go for a girl who can't touch? I swear, in some ways you are even more naive than Lorna."

He had known exactly what button to push and Rogue gasped as though he had struck her. Tears welled in her eyes, which she hated! No one made her cry. No one!

Remy didn't try to block the blow she landed on his chin, but instead stayed where he had fallen and watched as Rogue stormed off, jumping onto the fire escape in her rush to get away from him.

Remy was glad she had gone, because he honestly didn't know how much longer he could have carried on. Slowly he got to his feet, then noticed something on the roof by the fire escape. He made his way over and picked up the two pieces of card, two halves of the queen of hearts that he had left on her nightstand, to be exact.

It hurt to see his symbol of affection destroyed, but supposed he deserved it.

The moment he had seen her at the base, he knew they had to be over. When he saw the cut on her forehead, the cut he suspected that he was responsible for, he knew that he was right. Being with him was already putting her in danger, and now it seemed that he too could be a danger to her, even when he was trying not to fight her.

He just couldn't live with himself if anything happened to her, so he had to end things, and he knew that the only way to do that was to hurt her. She was far too tenacious to leave him for all but the worse of offences. He just prayed that he hadn't broken her, that she would find the strength to trust someone else and, as much as he hated the thought, to love someone else.

"Forgive me, _cher,"_ he said softly as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I had to do it."

* * *

Rogue made it back into the mansion without anyone seeing her, and headed straight to her bedroom. She had managed to staunch the flow of tears on her way home but now, alone again, the damn burst. She curled up on her bed and allowed her tears to silently fall, wondering where exactly she had gone so wrong.

She knew they weren't a couple, they weren't even dating since she'd left New Orleans. But at the same time, they were so much more than that, or so she had thought. He seemed to understand her in a way no one else really did, and he'd never shown any kind of aversion to her or her power.

She had begun to believe that maybe someone could love her, despite her power, and that maybe love was about more than being able to touch.

But now she knew better.

"Rogue?"

She heard Logan behind her and remembered that he hadn't locked her door. Even knowing that he had been right, she turned to him, desperate for friend.

Thankfully he didn't gloat but simply sat down on her bed, pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, stripes."

"I should have listened to you."

"It ain't your fault, kid. The guy's a player, I shoulda known better."

He held her until her tears finally abated and exhaustion finally overtook her. He laid her down on the bed, pulled the covers over her as best he could and stood back to watch her for a moment.

Things were so tense between them at the moment and in truth, had been for a long time, but if he ever saw that Remy Friggin' LeBeau again, he' be making gumbo out of him. No one hurt his Rogue and escaped unscathed. No one!


	6. Chapter 6

Gidgeygirl: Don't worry, things don't stay depressing for long. I hope this chapter gives you some hope!

Warrior-princess1980, Kunfupandalover, aina akkarin and Anon: Thanks or the feedback, hope you enjoy this.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Jean-Luc and Henri LeBeau were well used to Remy's mood swings; after all, he was a passionate man and rarely did anything by halves.

What they were not used to though, was his moods lasting for so long, nor was it like Remy to be depressed. Angry, loving, incensed, playful, ferocious, merry, irritable, delighted, outraged, intoxicated, resentful and chipper, but rarely was he depressed, and never had it taken him so long to bounce back before.

Remy may not be related to them by blood, but both men loved him as a true son and brother, and both were worried about him.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Jean Luc asked his older son, Henri. He didn't normally interfere in his sons business, they were both grown men after all, and he trusted their judgement. However, he couldn't sit back much longer and watch his youngest son descend even further into this cycle of anger and depression.

"I wish I did," Henri admitted. "He changed after that last job for Sinister, but he won't say what happened."

Jean-Luc nodded sadly, his own attempts at reaching his son having also been rebuffed.

"Is it Sinister?"

"Must be," Henri shrugged, "but I haven't seen him like this since the theatre accident."

Both men sighed, wondering if there was anything they could do to help.

"It's been two months now!" Jean-Luc said, becoming angry. "I simply can't allow this behaviour to continue! He even made Tante Mattie cry earlier!"

Henri looked up, shocked. Tante Mattie was like a mother to both boys since their own mother had died young, and Remy would never willingly hurt her.

"He may be my son, but I cannot show favouritism."

"_Père_, yelling at him won't do any good, you know that!"

"Then I'll send him away, let the guild in Italy or Japan deal with him."

"You know he can't leave. If we want to help him, we have to get rid of Sinister, or at least the threat that's being held over his head."

Jean-Luc nodded slowly, his anger vanishing almost instantly, which Henri knew to be a sign that he had a plan.

* * *

Rogue too had been out of sorts for the past two months, but other than assuring everyone that Remy was a thing of the past, she wouldn't speak of it any further, not even to Kitty.

In an odd reversal, it was now Logan pressing Rogue to reinstate relations with Remy, after himself having been nagged at by Charles.

Just that morning Logan had tried again, at which point Rogue threatened to drain him if dry he ever mentioned that name within her hearing again. Needless to say, Logan doesn't react well to threats, which is how she now found herself locked in the basement with Charles.

Logan had a hard enough time getting himself to believe the professor, so if he was going to get flack for trying to do what was asked of him, then Chuck could do it himself!

Rogue made no attempt to talk to the professor though, she didn't want to see, hear or have anything to do with Remy and this freaky plan to get him to join the X-Men. Unfortunately something must have given her presence away as after about an hour, she found her surroundings turning white and the professor standing in front of her.

"I don't have to be psychic to see that you are in pain," he said sympathetically. The professor was one of the few people that Rogue could accept sympathy from without feeling patronised. "I think I now know what happened during your last meeting with Remy, and-"

"How?" Rogue cut in. She hadn't told anyone.

"I finally found the man they call the Witness. He knows much of the X-Men, and he knew of your relationship with Remy."

"We don't have a relationship, we never did."

"Rogue, I'd like to show you something, if I may?"

She just shrugged and the white around her transformed into a laboratory. She saw herself strapped to a table, a white coated man hovering over her, about to use something wicked looking on the other her, who already seemed to be in considerable pain. She wondered why she couldn't get free, until she noticed that she was wearing a bracelet that looked eerily similar to Forge's collar. The next thing she knew, one of the doors was literally blow off it's hinges as the X-Men stormed in.

"Step away from her!" Remy's deep voice resonated throughout the room as his image filled the doorway.

The doctor, or whatever he was, only laughed, so Remy launched a barrage of charged cards at him, literally blowing him away from Rogue. Wolverine, Domino and Storm followed him into the room and went after the doctor.

Remy ran straight for Rogue, and used his powers to charge her restraints and release her, then he tore the inhibitor from her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

"I was so worried," he confessed.

"Ssh, I'm fine." Rogue assured him.

It wasn't long before Sabretooth, Vertigo, Riptide and someone she didn't know joined the fight, and Remy picked Rogue up in a fireman's carry.

"Time to go!"

He charged a card and aimed it at the wall, creating an escape route, then carried her out. They ran down the alley, almost thinking that they were home free when the Doctor from earlier stepped into their path, but his image kept wavering between that of a normal human, and that of Sinister. Remy put Rogue down and angled his body so that she was behind him.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" Sinister laughed. "Oh Remy, if only you two would accept your fate, things would be so much easier. You could be glorious, as my soldier!"

"Never," Remy spat.

Sinister tutted and shook his head, as if he was dealing with an errant child.

Remy charged a deck of cards but before he could throw them, Sinister threw himself at Remy and the two began to fight. Rogue looked like she wanted to help, but she fell down, too weak after what had been done to her to even stand on her own. Then Remy did something strange, he grabbed Sinister, holding onto him with every inch of his strength and charging Sinister's clothes so highly that the mutant glowed like a halogen lamp.

"She will never be yours!" Remy yelled. "Never!"

"Remy!" Rogue called out, clearly worried for him.

When Sinister inevitably exploded, Remy was thrown feet into the air, landing hard on the concrete ground. Sinister lay still as Rogue crawled her way over to where Remy had landed.

"Remy?" she said, cupping his face in her ungloved hands.

The other Rogue gasped that her older self could touch but quickly noticed that Remy was badly hurt. Half his face was so badly burned that it turned the watching Rogue's stomach.

"Remy, don't you dare die on me!" the older Rogue almost yelled.

Though he seemed unconscious, Remy managed a twisted smile.

"Wouldn't dream of it, _cher_," he said with some effort, opening his eyes and looking at her with such warmth that it almost broke young Rogue's heart again, because why didn't her Remy love her that way?

"Don't be flippant," Rogue chastised, tears streaming down her face. Clearly she had realised that Remy was quickly slipping away.

"M'not," Remy said. "I promised I'd never leave you, an' I won't."

"Remy!" she pleaded, clearly unable to face the fact that he was dying, but he'd already realised it. "Heal, God damn you!"

"Don't think it's gonna be enough this time _chère_. Never been that close to a blast before."

"I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you. You were only trying to keep me safe but I wouldn't listen."

"None of that matters now. Kiss me, _cher_. Kiss me and absorb me, let me be with you forever."

Rogue's tears fell harder.

"No. NO! We have to get you back to the lab, let Hank help you."

"_Non,_ _mon_ _coeur_, it's too late for that," he said kindly. "Kiss me. Grant a dying man his last wish."

Through her tears, Rogue began to lean into him, then she kissed him gently.

The kiss seemed normal for a moment, then the tell tale signs of absorption began to show and a web of dark lines appeared on his skin as she drained his what little life he had left from him. Unlike everyone else she had ever absorbed though, he didn't seem to notice. His eyes didn't widen in fear, he didn't stiffen up, he didn't shy away, instead he deepened the kiss. Finally Remy grew still and his arms fell from around her waist.

"I love you too," she whispered as she pulled away, then she curled into his chest an began to bawl.

Rogue looked away from them, unable to see the pain on her other self's face, and she noticed that Sinister was gone. With some dread, she realised that Remy's sacrifice hadn't been enough. Had he known that Sinister could survive? Had he still given everything just to save her? She had a feeling that he had.

The scene around her dissolved back to white, and Rogue was surprised to realise that her face was wet with tears.

"Mr LeBeau may have a funny way of showing it, my dear, but he truly does love you and would give his life to protect you."

Rogue swallowed and waited a moment, until she thought she could reply with an even voice.

"Where did you get that from?" she asked softly.

"From the Witness, but you will know him as your son," The professor confessed. "Your powers grew with time and you developed the ability to share your memories with other people. When they were old enough, you showed both of your children that memory, so they would know that their father died a hero."

"Children," Rogue repeated softly. That wasn't something she could even countenance thinking about for the past few years, it just hurt too much.

"Please, Rogue, consider what I have said, and try to forgive Remy for what he did. When he rejected you, he truly believed that was the only way to protect you."

"How do you know?" she asked. "Did I show my children that memory too?"

"No, you wanted them to remember Remy as a hero, but you did tell them the story."

Rogue didn't know how she felt right now, she needed time to figure things out.

"Thank you, professor."

* * *

In the event, she only had two hours to try and order her thought before she was due another information dump, this time from a Cajun who came knocking on the mansion doors.

She was in the rec room, ostensibly watching TV with Kitty but in reality, lost in her own thoughts.

Her heart missed a beat when Bobby came in and said, "Rogue, there's some weird Cajun guy at the front door asking for you."

Okay, Bobby surely knew who Gambit was so his description was a little odd, but she didn't think anything of it. She made her way to the front hall as coolly and calmly as she could, then looked puzzled when the only person in the front hall was slightly stocky man who was far too short to be Remy.

"Um, can I help you?"

He jumped when she spoke, the turned to her.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm not usually this jumpy." His accent was clearly Cajun but he didn't even look like Remy, so it was probably just a coincidence.

"Is something wrong?"

"Are you Rogue?"

"Yes."

"Good," he smiled in relief. "I need your help."

"Okay." They weren't private detectives or some A-Team of mercenaries for hire, but this man looked so worried that she supposed there was no harm in hearing him out. Plus he was Cajun; even if this was a coincidence, he was till a small reminder of Remy.

"Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Sure, follow me."

Rogue led him to the Library, knowing that Hank and Kitty were both otherwise occupied at the moment, and therefore they should be left alone in here.

"So, what's the problem?" she asked once they were seated.

"Perhaps I should introduce myself first. My name is Henri LeBeau."

That surprised Rogue and it must have shown in her expression.

"Remy is adopted."

Rogue had known that so she wasn't sure why she had expected his family to look like him.

"Oh, I didn't mean any disrespect-"

"Think nothing of it. We may not look alike but Remy is family, that's all that matters to us."

"Okay, so how can I help?"

Henri hesitated for a moment. "It's not that I don't trust you, Rogue, Remy loves you and that's good enough for me, but you must understand how dangerous it is for me to come here. I'm risking countless lives."

Rogue blinked when Henri said that Remy loved her but she was too confused to question it, which she was glad of when she heard the rest of his statement.

"I won't tell anyone, you have my word."

"You may have to tell your friends, I don't know if you can help yet but if you can, you will probably need them."

"Okay." She was getting a little impatient now. If he had news about Remy, he should just come out and say it already!

* * *

Rogue looked around the X-Men, who were assembled in the war room, wondering how exactly one summed up what Henri had told her over two hours of conversation.

"The man who came here today was Gambit's brother, Henri," she began, "and after talking to him, I think I finally understand why Remy won't change sides."

The others sat forward, clearly intrigued.

"Remy is a class five mutant or rather, he was. When his powers first manifested, he had problems controlling them and he blew a lot of stuff up. He managed to get it under control until he was fifteen, then he had some kind of power growth spurt or something, and suddenly he was charging things he hadn't even touched, including organic material. He was afraid to be around people, he was too scared to even eat in case he blew himself up. He ran away from home because he was so scared that he'd hurt his family."

Rogue was surprised to see that Kurt, one of Remy's biggest detractors, actually looked sympathetic.

"He stayed away from populated areas, ate and drank only when he was desperate, and was nearly at death's door when someone found him and offered to help, and in return Remy would use his thieving skills for his benefactor. Unfortunately that someone was Sinister."

That raised a few eyebrows but no one interrupted her, unlike she had done to poor Henri on multiple occasions.

"He knew exactly how to help and did some kind of brain surgery on him. Remy was asleep when it happened so he doesn't know what exactly was done, but when he woke up Sinister showed him some brain matter in a test-tube-jar-thingy, and said that his powers would now be controllable."

"So that's why he works for Sinister?" Hank asked reasonably.

"It gets worse," Rogue cautioned. "He didn't know who Sinister was when he met him and even if he had, he introduced himself as Nathaniel Essex. I guess you could say that he broke Remy in easy and it wasn't until a few years later that he finally figured out how dangerous Sinister was.

"He'd been tasked with finding a few mutants for Sinister experiments, kidnapping I guess you could say. He wasn't happy about it but a deal is a deal, and while Sinister was creepy, Henri said that since he had helped Remy, Remy thought he was trying to help those mutants.

"The second mutant though, was a thirteen year old girl. He got her but before delivering her to Sinister, he decided to see for himself what happened to them inside the lab. Remy wouldn't tell his family everything he saw, but I think we can guess a little better than they could. He gave the girl some money to get home, then let her go. When he was sure she'd had long enough to escape, he told Sinister that it was it over, he was done."

"A thirteen year old girl?" Jean asked quietly. Everyone turned to her. She hadn't been around for their previous encounters with Remy. "Did he have red and black eyes?"

Rogue was too stunned to answer, so she just nodded.

"You were that girl?" Logan asked, his temper rising.

"He didn't hurt me, Logan," Jean reassured him, "Even though I couldn't read his mind, I knew that he was conflicted. He kept trying to reassure me but I could tell that he doubted his own words. When we got close, he left me in an abandoned building near the edge of town. I didn't know where he went, or why he looked so upset when he got back, but he untied me and let me go. He even bought my ticket home and saw me onto the train."

No one was quite sure what to say after that.

"Perhaps you should continue," Hank suggested to Rogue.

Rogue took a moment to remember where she'd got to in the story. "So, he left Sinister but then something happened. Remy doesn't remember it and his family weren't with him to know either. He remembers being attacked, then the next thing he knew, he woke up in a theatre three days later... with his mutation back at full power."

"Did he...?" Storm couldn't finish that question.

"He did," Rogue said, her voice so soft that only those closest to her could hear it. "Almost fifty people died in the explosion and many more were injured. But it's lucky I guess, because the theatre was only just opening for the evening show, so not many people were in there yet. If he'd woken up an hour later, the theatre would have had over 400 people in it."

"Sinister kidnapped him and... undid whatever it was he had previously done to reduce Gambit's powers?" Jean asked.

Rogue nodded sadly. "He had no choice but to return and beg Sinister to for his help. Maybe Sinister was a monster, but Remy was a walking death trap."

"Coulda killed himself," Logan said under his breath, but Rogue still heard.

"He tried."

That shocked Logan and his head whipped around. "Say what?"

"Sinister did something else to him while he was undoing what he had done, or something... He always had a slight healing factor, but Sinister amped it up, a bit like yours."

"Jesus!"

That was quite an exclamation coming from Logan.

"So he really did have no choice but to go back. Sinister made it clear that if Remy ever disobeyed him again, the same thing would happen. He amped up the healing factor just in case Remy tried to commit suicide."

"That's why he was so eager to steal the collar back!" Logan said. It had never sat easily with him that Gambit had been so quick to change sides. "He must have realised that once the job could be deemed complete, he could steal it back without breaking orders."

The table was silent while everyone thought through what they had heard.

"So if we get that test tube of brain back from Sinister, he'll lose his hold over Gambit?" Logan said.

"That's what Henri says," Rogue confirmed.

"You don't sound like you believe him?"

Rogue sighed. "I believe that he believes it, but knowing Sinister, I can't help but think that it's too easy."

"Easy?" Hank asked. "His family are thieves, so perhaps this is more of a taunt than trick."

"Well, they have tried to steal it back several times, none of them successful."

"I am curious though," Hank aloud. "How did Sinister know that Remy was in trouble and know where to find him when his powers escalated, even though he avoided people."

"Sinister is telepathic," Scott added.

"Remy's immune to telepaths." Rogue had almost forgotten that he had mentioned that to her while they were in New Orleans.

"Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser."

"Maybe not," Rogue really wasn't looking forward to telling this piece of the story. "Remy thinks he's... that he may be Sinister's son."

Well that floored them. Every jaw was slack.

"Not in the 'boy meets girl, they get married, have babies' kind of way, but Henri says that from some of the hints Sinister has dropped to Remy, they definitely share DNA. He calls Remy his 'greatest creation' and once called him his heir."

"Well," Hank said. "It wouldn't be the first time Sinister has tried something like that, but I wasn't aware that he might have used his own DNA."

"Given the ego on that guy, I'd say it's likely," Logan added.

"And red eyes aren't exactly a common mutant trait," Hank added.

"Especially since Remy's eyes have been that way since birth, they didn't come on when his mutation did," Rogue added

"But isn't he adopted?" Kurt asked. "Why would he create Remy, only to abandon him?"

Rogue noticed that Kurt used Remy's real name. She hoped it was a sign that he was sympathising with Remy, especially considering that Kurt had his own abandonment issues.

"I wondered that too," Rogue added. "But he doesn't really seem like the paternal type. For him, it kind of makes sense to abandon the kid in a church so he'll be looked after, then pop up again when something interesting happens."

"And if he did create Remy, it would explain why he knows how to reduce his powers," Hank sounded thoughtful.

"So where does that leave us?" Logan asked.

"Without examining him, I can't say with any certainty."

"Um," Forge raised his hand. "You mentioned about the inhibitor collar earlier. I just thought you should know that I've been working on it a little, and while still not safe for prolonged use, it can be worn for a week with no ill effects."

Everyone turned to Hank.

"A week should be more than enough time to complete my tests."

"So what happens after a week if we can't help him ourselves?" Jean asked. "We still haven't been able to undo Angel's mind control."

"I have actually been thinking about that." Hank said. "If Remy is a creation of Sinister's and immune to his telepathy, that would explain why on Angel, a later experiment, he didn't leave it to chance. There is a possibility though, that I could modify Sinister's virus with a little of Remy's DNA, thus making Angel immune to the mind control."

"You can really do that?" Forge asked.

"Well, I can't say for certain, but it is a strong possibility."

"And what about Remy?" Jean sounded just a little outraged. She wanted to help Angel too but she thought that everyone was missing an important point. "If we can't help him, then what? Do we just send him back with the collar so that after a weak, Sinister can turn him into a walking bomb again?"

"She's right," Kitty added. "Considering how he's behaved, I think Remy's terrified. He'll never agree to this unless we can offer a permanent solution."

Everyone looked at each other around the table, each equally clueless as to how to best help Remy.

"Don't worry," Rogue said softly. "If you can't help him, I can."

Kitty was the first to realise what she meant. "You'd absorb him? You can't do that, you love him!"

"I do not!" Rogue blushed despite herself. Okay, maybe a few of those around the table had already figured out that she was lying, but that didn't mean she was happy for it to be common knowledge. She was still having trouble admitting it to herself.

The professor's vision was lovely and everything, but that was the future, just one of many possible futures, not to mention, one that they were trying to avoid. She couldn't really condemn the people of earth to Apocalypse just so that she could get laid. No really, she couldn't. Honestly! And that little twinge of regret she felt each time she realised that they were actually trying to change the future was a perfectly natural reaction, she was sure. Certain, in fact.

So why did she feel so damn guilty?

"Kitty, you didn't hear Henri. Remy's been living under Sinister's thumb for ten years now, and if I can end that for him, if I can help stop him becoming the monster he believes himself to be..." she shrugged.

She had thought about this a lot since Henri had told his story, and Rogue had realised that with his additional healing factor, she might well be the only mutant in the world who was capable of killing Remy. Actually doing it though, that was something else.

She had pictured hurting him after he broke her heart on the rooftop a little over two months ago, but she knew she could never kill for hatred. For love though? To save someone she loved from himself? Yes she realised, she could do that. It would haunt her forever, she was sure of it, and Remy would literally haunt her mind until she died, but how could she deny someone in so much pain the release that he craved so much?

The Remy the professor had showed her earlier had joined the X-Men, so there must be a way to change what Sinister had done, or stop Sinister from amping up Remy's powers if he did join them. Her thoughts were foggy on the specifics, she was dealing with a possible future and a lot of what ifs, but she had hope.

"So what now?" Logan asked, interrupting the deafening quiet.

"Now I call Henri." Rogue said, standing up. "He needed an excuse to come to New York, so he's stealing some ancient Egyptian statue or something. I'll get him to call Remy, tell him he needs help with the job."

"Will that work?" Kitty asked.

Rogue looked around everyone at the table. The angry and moody girl from the past few months was gone, and in her place was a Rogue full of determination.

"I'll make it work."

Kitty bit her lip as Rogue strode out of the room, hoping that everything worked out for her friend, but with a nagging feeling that this could all end horribly. There were just so many variables.

Finally Logan stood up. "I'm going to speak to Chuck, see if he knows anything. Hank, get the med bay ready for our visitor, Jean, you help him. Forge, check the security systems, they need to be in tip top condition in case Sinister comes after him. Scott, we're gonna need to have a 24 hour guard, so you come up with a rota so that two people are always on guard duty. Everyone else," he looked around he table. "Pray."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Upon hearing that his brother needed help, Remy caught the first flight and was at the Guild's New York apartment not three hours later.

"So, _mon frère_, you ready to admit that your little brother is better than you?" he said as he sauntered into the apartment, draping his coat over the closest chair. A job was just about the only thing that could lift his spirits at the moment, so for once he wasn't biting Henri's head off.

"Actually _mon petit frère_, I have someone who wants to speak to you."

Rogue came out of a side room as she heard the voices, and Remy's expression when he saw her was all the proof she needed that Henri had been right and he did love her. He looked like he'd just seen an angel.

He quickly replaced it with his poker face, but she knew what she'd seen.

"You just can't stay away from the Ragin' Cajun, can you, _cher_. Looks a little desperate if you ask me."

"Cut the bull, Remy, I'm here to help you."

"Remy don't need no help from the likes of you."

Rogue had hoped that he would hear her out, not that she had anything concrete to tell him, but she had been hopeful that she could convince him. Still, she had learned that sometimes it was hope over experience, which is why she removed her gloves before she came through. Her hands were currently in her pockets so he had no way of knowing.

Remy wasn't showing much skin himself, so Rogue had to keep her eyes open for an opportunity.

"Remy, will you just listen-"

"_Non_! Time for you to leave, I think." He grabbed her arm to try and drag her to the door, causing his sleeve to ride up. Rogue took her opportunity, since it might be the only one she got, and grabbed his wrist.

His shocked expression hurt her, but she knew he'd understand eventually. At least she hoped he would.

"What did you do to him?" Henri asked as Remy fell to the floor.

"He'll be fine, Henri. He wasn't going to come willingly but now at least he'll give me a chance to explain when he wakes up."

"You sure, _petite_?"

"He won't have a choice. Look, if you're worried, you can always come back to the mansion with me."

"I really do have a job to do here," Henri said. "I gotta keep my cover in place, especially if Remy's goes missing. Maybe I can stop by tomorrow and see him?"

"Sure. So does anyone else in New Orleans know where he went?"

"Just our _père_, but he'd die before he sold Remy out."

"But will you be safe?"

"Once I'm home, sure. The guild has New Orleans sewn up, ain't no one gonna get to us there. You just take care of Remy, we can take care of ourselves."

"Okay, well call if you need anything, okay."

"Same to you, _petite_."

With surprising strength for someone so small, Rogue put Remy over her shoulder, then made her way to the elevator. Thankfully she had thought to come in the blackbird, which she had parked on the roof so that she wouldn't draw any stares as she carried an unconscious Remy over her shoulder through the city.

* * *

Remy woke up to find himself strapped to a bed, not a situation that helped to relax him at all. He bent his fingers around until he could touch the straps to charged them, only there was no charge. His powers were gone!

His first instinct was to panic, and when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he twisted his head to try and bite it.

"Easy, Remy, it's just me." Rogue came into his field of vision. "Relax."

"Let me up, now!"

"I will, but not until you hear me out, okay?"

Remy strained against his bonds. "I can still get out of these, you know. I am a thief."

"Probably, but I only need to keep you still long enough to listen to me. I'm trying to help you."

Remy sighed and stopped straining, but only because he was trying to contort his hands and make them small enough to slip through the padded leather cuffs.

"Okay, I spoke to Henri, Remy, and we think we can help you. Hank has degrees in almost everything and he's already working on trying to fix Angel. He's done a CT scan of you already but he needs you awake for the PET and functional MRI scans. He thinks that we can undo, or redo or... well, basically he thinks that we can keep your powers lowered so that you aren't dangerous any more, and so that Sinister doesn't have a hold over you."

Remy didn't stop trying to get free, but he was listening more closely.

"Let me guess, Henri told you?"

"Yeah, but he was only trying to help you."

Remy sighed.

"Forge has been working on the inhibitor collar too, and that's safe for a week of constant use now, so we figure even if Sinister finds out what's going on, we still have a week to find out what he did to you, so that we can replicate it if we ever need to."

"_Non_, it's too dangerous, if-"

"We have top notch security, thanks to your break-ins," she couldn't help a wry smile at that. "And we have two X-Men on watch around the clock. We're keeping you as safe as we can-"

"No such thing as safe when it comes to Sinister."

"Maybe not but if you'll give us a chance, we'd like to fight by your side. You don't have to be in this alone any more, Remy."

She touched a gloved hand to his cheek.

"I know you were lying on that rooftop. Someone had already shown me the truth but when I absorbed you earlier, I knew he was right. I'm not saying that we have to become a couple or anything, I'm just saying that I know you were trying to protect me, and it hurt you as much as it did me. I'm not mad any more."

"How mad were you?" he asked, cringing slightly.

"I was pretty fuming. Your name was taken in vane quite a few times around here, but I understand why you did it now. And for the record, I don't blame you and I don't hate you, for _anything_ you've done."

He stopped trying to free himself for a moment. "You mean that, _cher_?"

"I do." He could see that she was sincere. "We already have some good news; Hank thinks he's discovered how Sinister tracks you. He found a very small tracking device when he looked at your CT scans, no bigger than a grain of rice, and by the amount of tissue that it's fused with, he thinks you may have had it since you were a child. It doesn't have a huge range, so if Sinister doesn't know roughly what area you're in, it'll still take him a while to find you, but we've found a way to block the signal until we can take it out."

He was impressed but-

"And I only have one last thing to tell you before I set you free."

"What's that?"

"If this doesn't work, if we can't free you from Sinister's hold, I can set you free."

"_Cher_?"

"I'll absorb you, Remy, I'll do for you what you couldn't do for yourself."

Remy was silent for a few moments as he contemplated what she was offering him.

"'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished'," he said in a whisper.

"Hamlet," she smiled forlornly.

That soliloquy had had a special resonance for Remy ever since he discovered the truth about his deal with Sinister.

Rogue made her way to the foot of his bed and began undoing his cuffs.

"You'd do that for me?" Remy asked, sounding awed.

"I'd do anything for you." She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him with a guileless expression. "And besides, at least that way I'd get to keep you with me, a part of you anyway."

Remy didn't know what to say to that. One way or the other, he'd might finally be free. But he didn't want to dwell on that right now because his freedom could come at the expense of her sanity, and that wasn't a sacrifice he was sure he could allow her to make.

She dropped her gaze and continued the task at hand.

"Why didn't you take this tracker out?" he asked.

Rogue looked up again, surprised by the question. "We'd never do anything invasive without your permission, Remy. Hell, Hank only did the CT scan because we're on a time frame here." She had nearly finished the first ankle cuff. "Once I have these off, you're free to go, so please don't kick me in the face or anything."

Although that was his instinct, he didn't, but only because he couldn't stand harming Rogue.

"And if you do take off, make sure your brother knows or he's probably gonna think we killed you and buried you under the azaelia bush or something," she on chattered as she moved onto his wrist cuffs. "He's coming by to check on you tomorrow, by the way, before he goes back home."

Once freed, Remy sat up on the bed, while Rogue stepped back, wary.

Remy rubbed his wrists. "I'm not gonna hurt you, _cher_," he assured her.

"You're in here now, Remy," she tapped her temple. "You hate hospitals, tests, doctors and all kind of similar things. You're first instinct is to flee and sometimes your fear is so great, that I think you'd hurt anyone who got in your way."

Remy couldn't argue with that. The pain of some of Sinister's procedures was unbearable, and he had no choice but to submit and endure, lest Sinister made him a walking bomb again.

"I swear to you, Remy, we mean you no harm. None of us."

"What about the Wolverine?"

"Even he was appalled by what Sinister did to you." She picked up a small box from the desk, about the size of a cigarette packet, and tossed it to him. "If you do leave before we get the tracker out, take that that with you. It blocks the signal."

Remy leapt down from the bed and Rogue flinched.

"Look, Rogue, I make no promises about staying, but I truly ain't gonna hurt you." Seeing her flinch was more than enough reason to hold his fight or flight instincts in check.

Rogue looked over at him but her expression hard to read and his empathy was switched off, thanks to the collar he was wearing.

"Aren't you mad at me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Mad?"

"For knocking you out." She hung her head.

He supposed he was annoyed at not being given a choice, but now that he had heard her out he could see that he was being unreasonable before. He should have listened to her.

"_Non_," he assured her, reaching up to the inhibitor collar in his neck.

"We just wanted you to see that it works," she explained. "Push the buttons on the sides and it'll pull off easily.

He did so and almost instantly felt the thrum of power flowing through his body once again. He left the collar on the bed.

"So, you want to show me around this place, or am I stuck in this hospital?"

"Of course not," she said. "There are some tests that you'll have to be down here for, but I told Hank how you feel about these places and he's gonna do his best to see you upstairs or in your room if he can."

"So what now?"

Rogue gestured behind him. "Doors over there. There's no security on it, it'll open when you get close."

Remy jumped off the bed, grabbed his trench coat which he noticed sitting over a chair, and headed out into the hallway. It still looked pretty clinical in the hallway, but not hospital clinical as such so he calmed down a little as he pulled his coat on. Rogue followed him out a moment later, though she kept her distance.

"So, you gonna show me around?" he asked.

"It's three AM, you sure you don't want to sleep?"

"Already been asleep, _cher_."

"Okay," Rogue shrugged and headed down the corridor towards the lift.

Remy reached out to put his arm around her shoulders, but Rogue jerked away and assumed a fighting stance.

"What, you got a no touching rule in this place or something?" he asked.

"You- you want to touch me?"

"Gonna be hard to resist, _cher_."

"But... I mean, I absorbed you!"

Suddenly he understood, she hadn't been wary of him trying to escape, well not only that, she thought he would hate her for absorbing him.

"_Cher_," he stepped closer, backing her up to the wall. "You can absorb me a thousand times, and I'll still come back for more." His eyes were gazing at her lips and his expression was positively hungry. "Besides, I guess I had it coming after what I did to you."

"I didn't hurt you?"

His eyes flickered to hers and he smirked. "_Non_." Not quite true but he didn't want to upset her. "I don't know what kind of cowards you have around hers, afraid of a _belle femme_, but Remy ain't afraid of you, _cher_. Not now, not ever."

She looked into his eyes, trying to read the truth. Apparently liking what she saw, she suddenly enveloped him in a crushing hug. Remy put his arms around her, happy to hold her for as long as she wanted. He wondered how long it had been since someone had hugged her, or touched her in any way really. He had a bad feeling that the answer was nobody, not since he'd sent her away at least. Well, before that really, unless you counted him shoving her at the MRD base.

He kissed the top of her head, content just to be here, with her. He still couldn't say for sure that he was staying, but if life here continued to feel this good, he might just stick around, at least for a week to see what they were able to do.

Finally Rogue pulled away.

"Thank you," she smiled up at him, and his heart soared.

"You know, _cher_, if you keep being this easy to please, Remy might get lazy. You got to make me work a bit harder to please you."

Rogue laughed. "Okay, so what should I be demanding?"

"Well flowers definitely, probably roses, champagne, candlelight dinners, compliments so you know how great you are, and the occasional date to remember, just so you keep me on my toes."

"What kind of date?" she asked.

"You know, anniversaries and stuff. Did you know it's been just over five months since we met?"

"You're keeping count?"

"Not exactly. But how could a man every forget meeting you? Especially in that dress."

Rogue blushed. She didn't ask if he'd still be around for their six month anniversary, because she wasn't sure she could handle the disappointment if he said no.

"Come on, let me show you to your room."

She showed him the security codes to get into and out of the basement area, but smiled as she told him it was probably pointless. He couldn't help but smile back, mostly because she was right.

Remy's room was sandwiched between Logan and Rogue's room. It was pretty nice, but nothing like his rooms in his fathers mansion, they were truly opulent, though not tacky. Still, Remy thought he could be comfortable here, after all, he had spent part of his childhood living on the street, until his father found him and adopted him. This was certainly a huge step up from that!

The bed was comfortable, the closets spacious, and there were enough drawers and shelves that he could make himself at home here, once he had a few more possessions with him, that was. For now all he has was what he'd brought with him New York, which was exactly one change of underwear and a spare T-shirt.

He settled on the bed and lay back, staring up at the ceiling. Rogue had said that he was welcome here but he couldn't quite believe her. He supposed he'd get to see that for himself soon enough, but no matter what she said, he just couldn't see Logan and Kurt forgiving him that easily. And maybe that Forge guy would be a little pissed that he stole the collar too.

He took the box that Rogue had given him from his pocked and opened it. He was fairly technically knowledgeable, after all most security was electronic these days, so he recognised that this was a dampening field, designed to suppress electromagnetic signals over a specific area. He couldn't tell what frequency this one was set to but he guessed he had to trust them. They didn't want Sinister showing here up any more than he did, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

Fostersb: I don't think that Remy can really believe that he might be free yet and until he does, he won't risk getting closer to Rogue as they'll be on separate sides.

CeNedra: Soon!**  
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To everyone else who reviewed, thank you :D**  
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* * *

**Chapter Eight**

The following morning Remy was meeting Dr McCoy in the breakfast room to discuss what needed to be done. Rogue sat beside him and he held her hand under the table. This time it was more to give himself strength that from any desire to touch her.

"I believe I can take your take your vital signs and study your fitness levels in the gymnasium. Blood and samples can be taken anywhere, of course, I only need to be in the laboratory once I have the samples. The only tests for which you will need to be in the lab are the PET and MRI scans. I'm afraid there's just no way to do it anywhere else."

Remy was surprised that they were going to so much trouble to ease his fears. Rogue must have seen for herself how bad they were and made sure Hank new.

"I can provide you with anti-anxiety medication if you think that will help."

"Nice idea but _non_, my metabolism burns right through drugs."

"I'm afraid those tests are necessary though. If there were another way-"

"Don't worry, _mon ami_, I don't like it but I can endure."

"There is also the matter of your tracking chip."

"Where is it?" Remy asked.

"That's the thing, it's been positioned in the C3 vertebrae in your neck, and has fused with the bone there."

"You mean-"

"It's actually in your spinal column."

Remy didn't like the sound of that."How the hell did he manage that?"

"I can't say with any certainty. It may even be that he didn't position it there, but overtime it moved and became lodged there. It is a very difficult locality to get to without risking harm-"

"Just get it out," Remy said. "I don't care what the risks are."

"The risk is paralysis, so you should care, however I do have an idea. Have you met Kitty Pryde?"

"She's the one who can phase through walls, _non_?"

"Yes, that's her. I believe that with her help, and careful monitoring by portable X-Ray, she should be able to locate the tracker and phase it out of you. The risks would be greatly reduced."

"How do you know she wants to help me?"

"I've already asked," Hank said with a smile. "She and I are meeting in the med lab later today to practice and if she is successful in these tests, then we could remove the chip as early as tomorrow."

Remy couldn't believe that these people were going to so much trouble for him.

"Thanks, Doc."

"Think nothing of it, my boy, Why don't come down to the med lab when you've finished breakfast and I'll try to get both scans done and have you out by lunchtime."

"Sounds good," Remy smiled and squeezed Rogue's hand.

For the rest of the morning, Remy submitted himself to Hank and his ministrations. He allowed himself to be poked, prodded, scanned, bled, injected and generally did whatever was asked of him.

Though he couldn't claim to like any of the procedures, he had to admit that Hank had a much better bedside manner than Sinister ever had, and he did everything he could to ease Remy's fears and explain exactly what was or would be happening.

Rogue stayed with him when she could, and watched with Hank when she couldn't. He liked that she stayed with him, he felt like things couldn't be too bad if she was there.

With his morning of tests finally over though, he practically ran from the med lab. He paused outside and rested against the wall, his eyes closed as he tried to breath.

Rogue had seen the sheen of sweat on his brow, the trembling if his fingers and noticed how his voice would catch at times but until they left the room, she didn't realise just how well he had been hiding his fears.

She sidled up to him and ducked her head under his arm, wrapping her arms around his waist. After a second, his arm tightened around her and his breathing began to ease.

"I'm proud of you," she said.

Remy felt foolish thinking that he should be proud he survived a visit to the doctor, but hearing those same words from Rogue? Well that made him feel like a million bucks.

"Look, Rogue, I know you got into my head and say that you understand why I pushed you away, and that you know I'm sorry, but I need to say the words. I'm sorry, _cher_."

She knew from having absorbed him that he didn't apologise often, so she was touched by the gesture.

"You're forgiven, on one condition."

"_Oui_?"

"Don't do it again."

Remy's expression became grave as he considered her words. Remy may have been raised a thief, but that didn't mean that he didn't have a code of honour. One of the things he took seriously was giving his word. He wasn't one to use half truths or keep his fingers crossed behind his back, if he gave you his word, he did his damnedest to keep it.

Right now though, he couldn't promise to never to hurt Rogue again. What if they couldn't help him? What if he was condemned to a life of servitude with Sinister after all? He couldn't drag Rogue with him into that life, more importantly, he wouldn't. He couldn't risk it.

"I promise that I don't want to ever hurt you like that again." It was the best he could offer at the moment. "I know that's not what you want to hear, and it's not even what I wish I could say but..."

"Things are too unsettled," Rogue finished for him. "I know. Don't worry, I was only teasing anyway, I didn't mean to upset you."

Remy didn't believe that for a minute. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised at her lack of confidence when it came to relationships, but she was so strong and confident in every other way, sometimes he forgot that she was new to this whole dating thing.

Not that they were even dating. He wanted to formalise what they had, become her boyfriend, though that sounded so weak considering how he felt about her, but right now he couldn't risk getting her hopes up, only to have them crushed if this didn't work.

And anyway, technically she had kidnapped him!

"Remy cares for you, _cher_, and he doesn't ever want to leave your side, but sometimes he might not have a choice."

The pain in her eyes lessened and she gave him a genuine smile.

"You are a very strange man, swamp rat."

"Well that's good," he said, looping his arm around her waist and leading her down the hall. "Cos I've got my eye on this very odd girl. I think we'll make a good team, _non_?"

Even though he had insulted her, mildly, Rogue couldn't help but smile. Damn but if his charm didn't make it hard to be mad at him.

Henri was waiting for them when they got upstairs, clearly a tiny bit agitated.

"You're okay!" he said, smiling as Remy came into the rec room. He hugged Remy tightly. "I had visions of you being held captive, being murdered, all sorts!"

"Eh, they don't really seem the bondage type to me," Remy assured his brother as they separated. "Though there may be one femme here who could make Remy enjoy bondage." He winked at Rogue, who tried her hardest not to blush.

"Well, I'll leave you two to catch up," she said, backing towards the door. "You know where the kitchen is if you want anything and I'll be around here somewhere if you need me."

"_Merci bien, cher._"

Part of him had wondered if Rogue was ever going to leave his side. Other than sleeping, she had been with him constantly and he had begun to wonder if perhaps she was guarding him rather than being...

_'Being what?,'_ he asked himself. _'Friend? Lover? Well no. Companion, maybe?'_

In any case, he found that he was both pleased that she did trust him to be alone, but sad that she was leaving him. He liked being around her.

"So," Henri said as they sat on one of the couches. "They treating you okay?"

"I'm not a prisoner," Remy said with a smile. "They do have to do tests on me, but they're being as good about it as they can."

His brother visibly relaxed.

"So, you and _père _dreamed this little scheme up?" Remy asked, but he wasn't nearly as angry as he could have been.

"We didn't know she'd knock you out."

"It's all right, I was being... perhaps a little obstinate."

Henri laughed. "But you're okay?"

"_Ça va bien_." [I'm good]

"Do you think they can help you?"

Remy shrugged. "I don't know, but for the first time in years, I have hope. I just pray it's not false hope."

"So," Henri looked uncomfortable. "If it works, will you stay here?"

"I don't know. I feel like these people can give me a chance at redemption if I stay, but I know I'm a guild member and I made a promise to you all."

"Remy, you're a guild member for life, wherever you are or whatever you're doing. We know how difficult things have been for you and all we want is for you to be happy. If these people make you happy, _père_ said that you have our blessing."

Remi smiled. "_Merci_."

They chatted amiably for a while longer before Henri had to leave to go back home.

"You and _père _will be safe, _non_?"

"We have it covered Remy. We're staying in New Orleans until this is sorted and as for your disappearance, you pulled off a job in Houston last night. Etienne wore your spare armour and even a wig. Trust me, eye witnesses will swear you were there, and that's going to be the last sighting of you."

So far, Sinister had never gone after Remy's family, he hadn't needed to, but with this tracking device removed and no way for Sinister to find him now, there was no telling what Sinister might try.

"_Faites attention_." Remy warned. [Be careful]

"We will, _mon frère_."

Henri left and Remy pondered their conversation for a while. His family loved him enough to let him go, if that was what he wanted but that very love made him suddenly feel incredibly home sick, even though he had only left New Orleans less than a day ago.

"Oh, hey, sorry, didn't mean to disturb you."

Remy looked up to see a brunette teen coming in. "_Bonjour_, _petite_. Come right in, it's just me and my thoughts here anyway."

Kitty smiled and held her hand out. "Kitty Pryde."

"Remy LeBeau." He took her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed the back of it. "A pleasure."

"Wow, you really are a charmer," she giggled. "But I have to say, both as your girlfriend's friend, and the girl who's going to be reaching into your spine tomorrow, maybe you should tone down the flirting."

"_Pardon, petite_. I mean no harm, it's just my way."

"Good, because if you do hurt Rogue, I will make you pay. And I know I'm not as scary as Logan or Hank or anything, but remember, I'll be reaching into your spine tomorrow, okay?"

Despite her harsh words, her tone was slightly teasing so he didn't take offence.

"_Oui, petite_. Message received, loud and clear.

"Good." She threw herself down onto the couch.

"And trust me, quite conviction is way more scary than claws, teeth and growls."

She smiled at that remark, though she clearly didn't believe him. "So come on, spill, what's Rogue like behind that tough exterior?" Kitty asked.

"If you don't know that, then I'm not sure I should be sharing her secrets with you."

Kitty grinned. "Okay, that's test number one passed. There may be hope for you yet, LeBeau."

He laughed and thought that while she might be young, he could soon come to like Kitty.

* * *

Remy was surprised by how readily everyone here seemed to accept him. Clearly some had a harder time than others. Logan for example, could hardly speak to him without growling, but at least he was making an effort _not_ to growl. Kurt was more nervous than angry, like he was afraid of offending if he asked what he wanted to. Remy supposed it was because, despite their differences, they both had a lot in common; born to bad-slash-evil parents, with visible mutations, abandoned and adopted. But then their one and only encounter wasn't making it easy for them to connect. Remy wasn't exactly trying hard to forge a bond with Kurt either. Of all the nefarious things that he could picture himself doing in his life, planting bombs, essentially becoming a terrorist, was not one of them and he was ashamed of his actions. Plus Kurt's girlfriend's sister, Lorna. She had thrown herself at him when all he had wanted was some gentle flirting and flattery, but he couldn't deny that he had led her on, which also hadn't been one of his finest moment

Hank, Forge, Bobby, Kitty, Jean and Storm were actually pretty friendly, all things considered. He had bonded with Bobby over motor racing. Storm seemed to accept him because he might be the solution to some of her _beau_, Angel's problems. Forge took to him the moment Remy told him that his electromagnetic dampening field was brilliant, and that he had never seen one so small before.

Of course, he and Hank talked while Hank performed tests and took samples, and were naturally developing a friendship, though it was very early days.

Rogue explained that she had told everyone at the mansion everything about his past, which Remy didn't much like; his secrets were secrets because they were shameful, but in many ways he was also relieved. Much of the time he felt like he had a hammer hanging over his head, and was just waiting for the truth to come out so it could fall. Well now the truth was out, the hammer had fallen and so far at least, he wasn't being rejected.

The only other people who knew the truth about him and hadn't scorned him (other than Sinister's Marauders, and those SOBs didn't count) was his family, Jean-Luc and Henri. Tthough appalled, they understood that he hadn't had a choice, that he was trapped, that he hated doing what was asked of him but unable to say no. He didn't see judgement in their eyes, only compassion.

He was surprised to realise that he recognised Jean but while she looked familiar, he did his best to repress uncomfortable memories, so she had to remind him that he had once kidnapped her, then set her free, refusing to hand her over to Sinister. He expected her to be the angriest of all of them but to his surprise, she was remarkably understanding. Her boyfriend wasn't nearly so forgiving and felt that Remy needed to know that you couldn't just go around kidnapping people, especially children. Remy didn't argue or try to defend himself (how did you defend the indefensible?) but it was Jean who always stepped in and stood up for him.

Remy didn't know whether it was his unwillingness to argue or Jean's defence, but slowly Scott seemed to warm to him, by which I mean that his mood turned from glacial to merely cold. Against his better judgement, Remy began to hope that maybe these X-Men were capable of forgiveness.

He didn't understand how anyone could forgive him, after all in his mind, he was born evil. Even as a child he had been nicknamed, _le diable blanc_, the white devil because of his eyes. Jean-Luc and Henri were the only ones who could see past his eyes, to the scared little boy underneath his frightening exterior.

When his powers got out of control, it made perfect sense to Remy. Weren't devils all powerful?

To find out later that he was Sinister's child, almost literally the spawn of Satan, felt like the final piece of the puzzle falling into place. How could he be anything else? He was born evil, he had just been fighting it all these years.

At times he wished that he could have stopped fighting and just accepted that he was evil, for surely that would have been easier, but he couldn't. It didn't matter how hard he tried, he could still remember the faces, the screams, the pleas; they haunted him.

He tightened his grip on Rogue, who was sitting in his lap, and sighed.

Here with her was just about the only time he felt better. Rogue was a strange combination of knowledge, experience, cynicism and innocence, but she had always been one of the good guys. If she could see something worth redeeming in him, then maybe there was a little hope for him.

* * *

Logan didn't interact with Gambit much. He knew that Remy needed to join the X-Men, Charles had drummed that into him over the last few months, so Logan reasoned that the best way not to put him off, was to keep away.

Of course, that didn't stop him watching. In fact when he wasn't training, he spent most of his time watching Gambit from a safe distance.

The most striking thing about him was his seeming devotion to Rogue. Rarely was he seen without her, and almost always he was touching her in some way; an arm around her shoulder, holding her hand, pulling her against him or onto his lap. They looked like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, but in dozens of different ways.

He knew the Cajun's reputation as a ladies man, so it wouldn't have have been unusual were it not for the fact that Rogue was literally untouchable.

Being drained by Rogue was not fun, in fact it was rather painful, not to mention debilitating, so most who had felt her touch were naturally wary. Just about the only people who dared to touch her, even over her clothes, were him and Kitty, but even then it was usually just a pat on the arm.

The only time Rogue had drained Kitty had been when she was unconscious, so Kitty hadn't really 'felt' it yet. The others had though.

Another part of the reason that no one touched her was also because she kept her distance from them, terrified that she could hurt a friend unintentionally. If you tried to touch or hug her for too long, she pulled away. He couldn't blame her, but he had often thought that it wasn't healthy for a young woman.

So far though, he had never seen her shy away from Gambit, not once. Granted, he had only been here three days now, but it felt like those two were magnetised to each other, unable to avoid the pull of attraction between them. Even when they were doing different things, or even talking to different people, they did so side by side, or like now; Rogue was sitting on Gambits lap as she talked with Kitty, while Gambit watched the racing on TV over her shoulder, sometimes conversing with Bobby who was watching too.

Despite his better judgement, he was softening towards Gambit, which only served to make Logan more wary of their guest. It just wasn't like him to take to strangers quickly, which naturally made him suspicious.

* * *

It was Remy's fourth night there and he was beginning to settle in. He'd received a care package from home today, sent from Dallas of all places, but it wasn't unusual for thieves to take precautions with their communications. In fact it hadn't even been addressed to Remy, and he only knew it was for him because the return address was care of Jean-Luc LeBeau.

Inside were letters from his family and Tante Mattie, two types of Tante's exquisite cookies, some more clothes, and some touches of home from his room, like pictures, some of his trinkets and a few books. He wished they'd thought to send his kindle as he hardly ever read books any more, but there was a decent enough library here so he could make do.

He'd set about making his room look more like home earlier and already he felt more relaxed there.

He hadn't been in bed long that night when he heard Rogue cry out. He rushed next door with a speed to rival Quicksilver, to find her lying on her side in bed, curled in the foetal position and clearly in the throes of a nightmare. In one way he was relived because no one was trying to hurt her, but he hated that anything bad happened to her, even if it was only in her dreams.

He wished he'd thought to bring his gloves because Rogue slept in a tank top which left her arms bare, but he wasn't about to go back and get them. He sat on the side of the bed and spoke softly to her.

"Shh, _cher_, it's only a bad dream. Remy's here now, you got nothing to worry about. Ssh." He rubbed her back as he spoke and she soon seemed to calm down

He hoped that Logan didn't come in and discover him hovering over her in nothing but sweat pants. Somehow he didn't think Logan's tentative acceptance would stretch that far! Still, the fight could be fun, he supposed.

He waited until he was sure she was relaxed, then kissed her hair and bid her pleasant dreams before returning to his bed.

He settled under his covers again and was just drifting off to sleep once more when she cried out again. This time he was prepared, as though subconsciously waiting for it to happen again.

As he got up, he grabbed a long sleeved T-shirt from a drawer, his gloves from his trench coat and by the time he entered Rogue's room he was dressed.

"Hush, _cher_," he said, climbing into the bed and spooning her. He wrapped one arm around her middle and settled his cheek against her hair. Perhaps it was foolish to climb into bed with an untouchable woman, but it felt too good for Gambit to willingly leave,

Rogue soon quietened down again and when no more bad dream seemed to plague her, he drifted off to sleep as well.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you all for your reviews. I hope you enjoy this part as much.

**Chapter Nine**

Rogue awoke to the feeling of something resting on her hip. She didn't feel pinned, it wasn't heavy enough for that, but it was definitely an odd sensation. She opened her eyes to look and found an arm draped there, which made her realise that her back was warmer than usual. She turned over to see who was there, and was greeted by a smiling Remy.

"Mornin' cher. Was it good for you too?"

"Remy? What are you doing in here?" she asked, though clearly delighted to see him.

"Remy couldn't continue sleeping alone with a _belle femme_ so close. I need snuggles."

Rogue laughed. "You are quite possibly the sweetest man I ever met, even if you are full of shit."

Remy's smile faded slightly. "You were having bad dreams, I didn't want you to be alone."

"My knight in shining sweatpants," she smiled. "Thank you."

"Was nothing, _cher_. Now, if you don't mind, I'd better go before _Monsieur _Claws finds us and gets the wrong idea."

"Okay. I'll see you at breakfast."

Remy kissed her hair, then made his way back to his own room.

He began to think that his luck would hold, when Logan came out of his room. He stopped stopped a few paces down the hall and glared as he looked from Remy to Rogue's door, then to Remy's door.

"You got something to tell me, bub?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest.

Remy realised that Logan was in no mood to think logically and remember that nothing untoward _could _have happened, so this could go one of two ways; violence, which seemed to be the option that Logan was leaning towards, or there was a slim chance that Remy could shock him into inaction.

He stalked towards Logan, looking equally angry.

"You have any idea how bad it is for Remy's ego, when a _femme_ calls your name out in bed rather than Remy's?" he glared as he passed the other man, then slammed his bedroom door.

Logan was frozen in place for a moment. Sure, he loved Rogue, but not like that. And she wasn't... she didn't... she couldn't... could she?

* * *

"Hey, Logan." Rogue called she came into the kitchen.

"Hey, stripes. You, uh, you got a minute?"

"Sure," she poured herself a mug if coffee then came to join him.

"Look, you know that I care about you, right?"

"Yeah?" She couldn't figure out where this was going. Logan didn't talk about feelings unless he was under pain of death.

"Well, I uh... You see, the thing is, I think I may have given you the wrong impression, probably not helped by me taking against Gambit like I did. But I'm not jealous, okay. I mean, I love ya and all, but I'm not in love, if you know what I mean, and I'm sorry if you thought that I might be, you know, interested in you... in that way. I'm too old for someone like you, too stuffy, I wouldn't be good for ya."

Thought she had tried her best to hold it in, Rogue burst out laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Logan, I just... Who gave you the impression that I was romantically interested in you?"

Logan's awkwardness had been replaced by anger. "Gambit," he growled.

The penny dropped. "You wouldn't have happened to see him coming out of my room this morning and gotten the wrong idea, would ya?"

"What do you mean, the wrong idea?"

"Logan, we both know that unless I want to follow the example of a Black Widow, sex just ain't on the cards for me."

He had the good grace to look embarrassed at least.

"I was having a bad night and Remy heard me. He stayed with me 'cos he was worried about me, that's all."

"Your nightmares giving your trouble again?"

"No more than usual," she assured him. "And pleas don't be mean to Remy, you deserved what you got for not thinking things through."

"Fine, the Cajun can live... for now." he got up and stalked from the room, Rogue's laughter ringing in his ears.

* * *

Rogue and Remy were in the gym under the mansion when Jean and Hank came in. Hank was a frequent visitor to Remy, but Jean tended to stay in the lab.

"What's up, _mes amis_."

"It's about your test results," Hank said. "We have reached some interesting conclusions."

Remy grabbed a towel to wipe himself off and went over to them. Rogue pulled her hoodie and gloves on and joined him a few moments later.

"I thought it was odd when Rogue said that you had an improved healing factor, yet Sinister had performed brain surgery. Surely in that case, any any tissue removed would simply heal and grow back," Hank explained.

"What are you trying to say?"

"That there is no evidence of anything ever having been done to your brain, it is healthy and whole."

That threw Remy for a loop.

"Then what did Sinister do?" Rogue asked.

"The only alternative hypothesis we could think of, is that he put mental block in place to reduced Remy's powers."

"Mental blocks?" Remy asked, thinking such an idea ridiculous.

"The professor did it for me," Jean spoke up. "I had a force inside of me that was so powerful, it could have burned the world. He set up a series of mental blocks and shields to keep that force locked up, so I couldn't access it's power. I'd like to take a look into your mind to see if perhaps Sinister is doing something similar to you."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but even if I wanted to let you, I can't. Psychics can't get into my head, so that can't be the way he did it."

"That's not quite true," Jean said, brandishing the suppression collar. "If we could think of this, I'm sure Sinister could have something similar."

Rogue put her hand on Remy's arm. "Jean's good at this kind if stuff," she assured him. "She's always in my head, helping me keep the voices in order."

Her word counted for a lot but Remy still wasn't sure. "So say he did use mental blocks, that doesn't help stop him from taking them away again at a later date."

"Until I see inside your head, I can't say for certain, and yes, all mental blocks can be undone with enough time and a powerful enough telepath, but if you weren't the telepath who put them there, it's very hard to undo someone else's blocks."

"Fine, I'll let you scan my head. I guess it can't hurt," he said, sounding disheartened.

Jean wished she could reassure him but the truth was, she was no professor Xavier, who had implanted her own mental blocks. Even if that was how Sinister controlled Remy's powers, she didn't know if she had the talent to remove Sinister's blocks and install her own.

"So, how you want to do this?" Remy asked.

"Wherever you feel comfortable and relaxed." Hank suggested.

"Great, Rogue's bedroom it is."

Jean and Hank blushed but Rogue could see through the bravado; he was terrified that this wasn't going to work. Still, it was his coping mechanism and lord knew she had enough of those herself, so she played along and elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

"In your dreams, swamp rat. Pick somewhere else or I'll strap you to the med lab table myself."

"_Cher_, why you always got to be so mean?"

"You ain't seen mean yet, Gambit. Try forgetting my birthday, then we'll talk."

Remy laughed. "Even I'm not that brave, _cher_." He turned to Hank and Jean. "How about we meet you in the library after a quick shower?" he suggested.

"That will be fine."

* * *

It turned out that Sinister had used a psychic block to reduce Remy's powers, but they were completely unsophisticated. Jean described it to him as using ton of rubble to block a river flow, as opposed to building a dam to hold it.

"So what does that mean?" Remy asked, removing the power inhibiting collar.

"That his skills are inferior," Jean explained. "If we can remove his mental blocks then install our own, which will be more of a network if dams rather than one huge block, I think he's going to have a very hard time reversing it."

"And you can do that, _petite_?"

"I have the necessary skills but not the knowledge or experience to back it up."

Remy sighed and thought for a few moments.

"Okay, I'll risk it. You can use me as your Guinea pig."

"No, Remy-" Jean tried to argue.

"It's okay, I know it's risky."

"Remy, it would be like operating blind. Even trainee surgeons have someone qualified there in case they mess up."

"What other choice do we have?" Remy asked. "I don't know any other psychics who are powerful enough to do what you're suggesting."

"Remy," Rogue interrupted them. She usually tried to keep quite during these kinds of discussions for fear of influencing him. After all, if he was going to join the X-Men, he had to do so of his own free will or he would just turn around and leave again sometime down the road.

Now though, she could see a solution to this problem, but it meant putting a lot of trust in Remy.

"Let's not finalise things now. There's a few other avenues we can't try, so let's leave this until tomorrow, okay?"

Remy gave her a hard look, and she could tell that he knew there was a lot more to the story that she was saying. After a few moments contemplating her though, he smiled.

"What's one more day."

* * *

It had been suggested that Remy cook dinner so that the others could meet in private. If he saw through the ruse, he didn't say anything but rather seemed to enjoy the challenge, even employing Tildie as his 'apprentice'.

Which is how the X-Men now found themselves in the War Room, discussing Remy's future.

"Rogue is right," Jean told them. "To do a through job, I will need the professors guidance."

"I don't like it," Logan huffed. "If people find out that Chuck can show us the future, he'll become a popular commodity, which is why I don't think we want too many people knowing his secret. Especially thieves."

"But Logan, we're doing this to free Remy and if we don't do a top notch job, then Sinister could get him back, which is exactly what the professor didn't want." Jean argued.

"I say we let the professor decide," Storm interjected. "It is his fate that is at stake and if he feels that it is worth the risk to trust Gambit, then we must respect his wishes."

Logan grumbled but he couldn't argue with such logic. "I still don't like it."

"No one says you have to," Rogue answered softly.

* * *

That evening for the first time ever since he had come to the institute, Logan initiated conversation with Remy.

"So, Ga- Remy, Rogue tell me that you visited the institute a few times. How come I couldn't smell you?"

Okay, he could have picked a better topic to start with but small talk wasn't exactly Logan's thing.

"That's easy, _mon ami_," he rummaged in his trench coat pockets for a moment and pulled out a silver bracelet. He pointed the bracelet at Rogue, who sat beside him and a strip of light ran up and down her body then disappeared. He handed her the bracelet. "When she wears it now it creates a tiny field of static around her and clothes which stops scent molecules escaping."

Rogue slipped it on then got up from the table, moving behind Logan. He sniffed the air as she passed.

"I can tell that you've been here, but you ain't laying down any new scent," he said. "How long have you had that?" Logan asked Remy.

"Don't know, a few years now. Sinister gave it to me."

"So you had this thing when you robbed this place?" Logan asked.

Remy shrugged.

"Why the hell didn't you use it?"

"Must have forgotten it." Remy kept his eyes on Rogue as she sat down again.

Logan sniffed but he wasn't searching for Rogue's scent, he was searching for a lie. Remy obviously had this device when he broke in to the mansion and chose not to use it. Even in servitude, he had found ways to rebel. It had always struck Logan as odd that Gambit had so easily agreed to give up his client and help Logan get the collar back, now he realised that Remy had intentionally been laying a trail for him to follow.

"Can I see that?" Forge asked, and Rogue handed him the bracelet.

"You're all, right, kid." Logan smiled at Remy.

"Kid?" Remy asked.

"Everyone's a kid to him," Rogue reassured him.

"Oh my god, it uses a non-linear polarity coil as it's power source," Forge began to enthuse about the bracelet. "I've only ever read about those, I didn't realise anyone had actually built one. And in miniature! This is so cool," Forge said, his dinner long forgotten as he looked closely at the technology inside the bracelet. "Hey, would you mind if I held onto this for a few days?"

"Not at all, _mon ami_, I haven't got any use for it, for a while at least."

"Thanks, Remy."

Logan caught Rogue's eye and gave her a brief nod. She smiled at him, knowing that finally, Remy had his seal of approval. Of course his approval was as changeable as the weather, but Rogue had no doubt that Remy would prove himself to everyone in time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Remy gazed in shock at the scene before him.

"Mon Dieu!"

"Yes," the professor said, where he 'stood' beside him,

"Sinister really did all this?" In all the time he had worked for Sinister, he had never expected something on this scale. That Sinister could enslave the world, that everyone was literally under his rule was more than frightening, it was truly terrifying.

"Well yes, with a little help from Apocalypse."

"Who is this Apocalypse fellow?" Remy asked, still hardly able to comprehend the changed world before him, the crowd all seemed hypnotised to worship a couple of second rate egomaniacs.

"I'm still trying to find that out myself. Unfortunately, all documentation and information here is courtesy of this new regime, and they guard their Master's secrets well."

"Does the Thieves' Guild still exist?" Remy asked.

"I can't say that I know. Why?"

"If there's one thing we know, it's that knowledge is power. We know how to acquire it, how to archive it, and how to hide it."

"You think they might have kept a record of events?"

"If they still exist, they'll have recorded what they know. Course, what they know might not be helpful," he finished with a shrug. "But if that's the case, I'm damn sure they can steal what you want to know for you."

Charles smiled. "Thank you or the tip, I will see if they are receptive to helping us."

"They will be," Remy assured him. "I'm a prince of the Thieves' Guild, I'll leave word that you are _un proche conseiller_, a trusted advisor, that way even if I'm gone, there'll be a record of you and they won't turn you away."

"Thank you, Remy, I appreciate it."

"No problem."

The scene before them disappeared, to be replaced by the white nothingness that Remy had been told was the astral plain.

"Now, about your psychic blocks, Jean has explained everything to me and I believe I can help."

"You can fix my mind?"

"Not from where I am, but Jean is a talented psychic and with my guidance, I believe we can help you. From what she has told me though, it will be a long process, requiring perhaps up to four days."

Remy didn't do well at sitting still for too long but if it meant freedom, then he could live with it. Besides, this room wasn't the med lab, so he didn't feel overly anxious in here.

* * *

The following day found Remy lying on a couch that had been moved into Charles' room, trying to daydream some of the tedium away while Jean wormed her way inside his head. Ordinarily he'd lightly charge some cards to stave off boredom, but right now he was wearing the inhibitor collar so that they could get into his head.

He sighed but tried to keep it quiet, these people were trying to help him, after all and he didn't want to seem ungrateful. Of course, that didn't stop him from being bored out of his skull.

Remy just wasn't used to inaction, it wasn't his style.

There had been a time when Remy used to daydream, occupying his time only with whatever lazy thoughts floated through his mind. That had all changed after Sinister though, after all who wanted to be alone with the memories he now had? It was like being alone with a monster, only when you were the monster, you couldn't even leave to get away. The only way to live with what he'd done was to keep occupied, keep busy, never stop, never slow down, constantly looking for the next distraction.

It was an exhausting way to live, but he'd been doing it for so long now that it was second nature.

Jean and Charles never spoke but he guessed that they were talking telepathically. The silence only served to increase his annoyance.

Sighing again, he turned his thoughts to Rogue. He had been surprised to realise that while he was lying awake last night, he was actually listening for Rogue to cry out. He wanted to say that it was because he cared so much for her, that he was protective of her but in truth, he had enjoyed waking up with her so much that he wanted to do it again.

Well no, that wasn't quite accurate. He didn't suffer from nightmares like Rogue did but at the same time, he didn't sleep well. Sleeping with her in his arms, he had awoken feeling more refreshed than he could remember in a long while.

The problem was, he didn't know how to suggest to her that they share a bed. He had gone into her room last night to 'tuck her in', a gesture which seemed to please her, but she hadn't asked him to stay like he'd hoped.

He knew he could have charmed her into letting him stay, after all his reputation as a ladies man was well deserved, but he didn't want to do that, not with her. She was different. She was...

And that's where things got tricky, what was she exactly? Sure, they were touchy feely with each other, and she supported him through his medical tests but really, did that make them any more than friends? Actually, he felt like her gay best friend, always touching and flirting, but both of them knowing that it was just in fun and that it would never go anywhere.

And yet he found himself wanting to spend his nights with her, even while knowing that it would never lead anywhere, that they could never be a proper couple.

There was only one explanation, Remy was going crazy. Or maybe he was a pod person and someone else was making his decisions for him.

His mind kept going in circles around the problem of what he and Rogue were to each other without reaching any conclusions, until they finished that evening. Remy all but ran from the room once they told him he was free to go. He headed straight to the gym, knowing that he'd have to work long and hard to wear himself out if he was ever going to sleep tonight. He did push-ups, pull-ups, weight lifting, acrobatics, pushing himself both harder and faster than he did usually.

After two hours, Rogue came in and watched him for a while as she waited for him to complete his set of pull-ups.

He only had on sweatpants, and his perfectly sculpted chest was covered in a sheen of perspiration. He looked looked positively sinful and she found some very indecent images running through her head. She quickly pushed thoughts like that aside, that way lay madness.

She looked up at his face and noticed how hard he was working, his face a mask of pain as he pushed his limits. In fact he was working so hard, that his hair was almost as wet as if he'd just come from a shower.

Finally he let the bar go and dropped to the floor. He turned and gave her a rakish smile as he grabbed a towel to wipe himself down.

"You okay, _cher_?"

"You were working very hard there."

"Didn't do much today so I had a lot of energy to work off."

"And demons to run from."

Remy shrugged, she wasn't wrong.

"Can I do something for you?" It came out harsher than he had intended.

"You missed dinner, that's all, and I hadn't seen you since breakfast."

"We're not dating, Rogue, you don't own my time."

Rogue took a step back, as though she'd been struck.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was making a nuisance of myself." She turned and stormed out of the gym, slamming the door behind her.

Remy sighed. He'd handled that very badly but he just didn't know how he felt right now. He was so confused, so hopeful for the first time in years, yet at the same time, so cynical, ready to be disappointed once more. But the one thing he did know, was that he shouldn't be lashing out at Rogue.

But damn it, why did she have to be so damned gorgeous? Why couldn't she be hideously ugly, with boils and warts and scars? It would be so much easier to remain just friends then.

Still, he had to admit that no matter how she looked, her heart was pure and would probably have attracted him anyway. There just weren't many people who were prepared to put their faith in him, to believe in him, but she had. Correction, she did, and all he gave her in return was pain.

He sighed and headed for the showers, knowing that he was in no fit state to apologise until he was at least clean.

* * *

Rogue was lying on her bed, watching When Harry Met Sally for probably the fiftieth time. This was just about the only rom-com she would voluntarily watch. She loved it because for so much of the movie, their love wasn't accompanied by lust. Sure, they got together in the end and kissed, and they had sex which almost ruined their friendship, but they were still in love for most of the movie, even while content to remain platonic.

Of course, no guy out there would really want a sexless relationship, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?

She wondered if that was why Gambit had turned on her. They shared so much, except the one activity that he seemed to prefer above all others. Okay, perhaps he liked stealing more than sex, but it was a close run thing and she couldn't be sure.

And honestly? He could have his pick of women, so why would he choose her? She'd even seen Jean, Storm and Kitty shoot him admiring glances, not that she thought they'd ever do anything other than look.

He was handsome, charming and rich, with an intoxicating air of mysterious, which was more than enough ensnare any woman. She had been kidding herself to think that he could ever love someone like her. He liked her, she'd even go so far as to say he cared for her but as time went on, she was beginning to doubt what she'd seen in the memories she absorbed. Besides, emotions were so tenuous and changeable that it was hard to get a true feeling for how someone felt, even if she had absorbed them. Love could change to hate in a heartbeat. Happiness could be crushed in a few seconds. Nothing lasted forever, and it seemed that his love was one of those things.

About a half an hour later, there came a tentative knock at her door.

"Go away!" she called.

"_Cher_?"

"Go. Away."

"I will, just give me five seconds, please."

Reluctantly she got off the bed and opened her door to him. Her demand of "What!" died on her lips when she saw him. He was dressed in a tux, of all things, and held a huge bunch of red roses.

"I'm sorry, _cher_. Let me take you out to dinner to say sorry?"

Rogue smiled despite herself. She couldn't help it, he was the only man who had ever bought her flowers. She brought the bouquet to her lips and inhaled.

"Thank you but, you shouldn't leave the mansion."

"Who said anything about leaving." He offered her his elbow and, intrigued by the gesture, she took it.

"So, where are we going?" she asked.

He led her downstairs and into the kitchen, where most of the lights had been turned off, a small table set up in the middle with candles and champagne.

"Welcome to _Chez Remy_," he said with a smile. "Now I hope you don't mind a little wait, but all the food here is cooked to order," he said with a wink.

"How did you do all this?" she asked.

"I had a little help from Kitty, and the tux was something Angel left here, apparently." He headed behind the counter. "Now, _ch_er, I know you like gumbo, but I'm here to tell you that you haven't had gumbo till you've tried mine."

"You're a little full of yourself, aren't you, Cajun?" she said as she hopped up on the counter to watch him cook.

"_Oui_," he grinned. "I would cook you something more involved, but my time was limited."

"I don't mind."

She sat there, happily watching him cook, then when he served they headed over to the table. Remy opened the champagne and poured them both a glass.

"You look beautiful in candlelight," he said, raising his glass to her.

Rogue blushed, uncomfortably reminded that he shouldn't think of her that way.

"Hides all the flaws, I guess," she said playfully.

"Don't do that," he said. "Don't put yourself down. You are _un tres bell femme_, and candlelight suits you because it's warm, like you."

"Remy... I..."

"Just enjoy the moment," he said. "Don't think so much."

She supposed that it couldn't hurt to just pretend, for a night.

"Okay," she smiled warmly at him. "So where did you get champagne from?"

"_Mon père_ sent it in his last care package. He knows I have a taste for the finer things sometimes."

The bubbles tickled her nose as she sipped it. "That's nice," she declared.

Remy chuckled. Only Rogue could call a $300 bottle of champagne 'nice'.

They ate, talked and generally shared a pleasant evening, then when they were done, he offered to escort her back to her room.

"What about the clean up?"

"Kitty offered. She said she could convince Bobby to help her."

Rogue smiled, and took his elbow again as he escorted her upstairs. They paused outside her door.

"Thank you, Remy, I have a lovely time."

"Me to, _cher_."

Rogue was uncomfortably aware that this would usually be the time when a couple kissed goodnight, only they couldn't do that. That didn't stop the longing in Remy's eyes though, and probably hers too.

After a few awkward moments, Remy broke the silence. He took her gloved hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. She wished that she could feel his lips on her skin, just once. She was tempted to suggest the inhibitor, but there was only one, and since Jean and taken Sinister's mental blocks down today, Remy's need was greater than hers at the moment. Besides, it was still dangerous if used too much, so maybe it was better if she didn't know what she was missing. You couldn't miss what you never had, right?

"_Bonne nuit et doux rêves_, Rogue." Gambit said, his smile warm and caring. [good night and sweet dreams]

"Good night, Remy."

She watched him walk along to his room, then darted into hers before he could turn back and catch her staring.

* * *

Remy hadn't been in bed for long when he heard Rogue cry out in her sleep again. He was ready tonight, having worn a long sleeved t-shirt to bed, and his gloves were waiting by the door.

"Ssh," he soothed as he climbed into bed beside her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He kissed her hair as she settled and after a few minutes, he drifted off into a deep sleep too.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Rogue didn't need to wonder what the weight on her waist was this morning and she smiled as she turned to face him.

"You're making quite a habit of taking liberties with my person, Cajun."

"Sorry." He looked anything but.

"You shouldn't do it all the time though," she said, turning serious. "It's dangerous."

"I'm fine so far."

"But our luck can't last."

"I took precautions," he assured her, pulling the quilt up from the bottom of the bed and raising a leg so that she could see his feet. "I even wore socks to bed, do have any idea what that information would do to my reputation?"

Rogue laughed, despite herself.

"Damn you, Remy. Why is it that you can just push your way through all my objections? You turn me into some kind of foolish girl who can't think for herself."

Though her words had been in jest, they sobered him.

"I don't mean to change you, Rogue. I..." He couldn't finish that sentence. He wasn't even sure he wanted to.

"I'm just joshing with ya, Gambit."

"I know," he said, finding a smile from somewhere. "Well, I'd better get ready I guess. I don't want to keep the professor and Jean waiting."

"Speaking of, how did it go yesterday, I didn't get a chance to ask."

"Boring," he confessed. "But they finally got the blocks down. Today we're starting to rebuild them, so I get to be a little involved."

"Have fun."

* * *

The day was actually a lot more interesting than the day before. This time he was on the astral plain with them and had to visualise a lot of things. First he had to visualise the different aspects of his power, the healing factor, his bio-kinetic charge, his kinetic-psychic field, his empathy and his hypnotic charm. Once that was done, he had to visualise the different levels of his bio-kinetic charge.

Remy pictured fuel sources, ranging from matches to coal (light charges), to a bike and car engine, coal and gas power stations, and all the way up to a nuclear reactor. With that done, he and Jean then set about erecting mental barriers around the largest and most dangerous levels of his power, while the professor advised them.

Over the next three days they locked away the three highest levels of his bio-kinetic charge, first individually, behind three different mental barriers, then together. For different levels, Remy visualised huge steel doors, 5 meter thick concrete walls and locks that even he would have trouble picking.

Each barrier was linked to an important memory and it didn't escape Jeans notice that of the four, two memories were about Rogue. The other two were of his family, the day they had found him and taken him in, and the day he had finally felt that they loved him.

At the end of the first day, once the professor had left and Remy and Jean were back on solid ground, Remy got up to leave when Jean took hold of hid arm.

"Remy, I know this is a terrible invasion of privacy, and rest assured, no one else will ever know what I saw in your mind, but I have to speak to you about Rogue."

"What about her?"

"You love her."

Remy shrugged. "Don't change anything."

"Just because you can't touch, doesn't mean that you can't be together."

Remy gave her a wry smile. "That'd be one mockery of a marriage though, wouldn't it?"

"Marriage isn't just about procreation, Remy, it's a union between two people, for better or worse. Like it or not, you and Rogue are already united, and denying that is just hurting you both."

Remy looked away, uncomfortable. "Maybe what I feel isn't love."

"Remy, everyone sees it, not just me because I've been in your head. It's... I don't know, it's like your orbit yourselves around each other, you're constantly acting and reacting to each other, gravitating towards one another. I don't think you can be within five feet of her and not reach out to touch her."

"That's just the way I am, _petite_," he turned his charm on. "I can't help touching a _belle femme_."

"We know you're a flirt, Remy, but not like you are with Rogue. You'll give us a kiss in the hand or put an arm around our shoulders, or give us a playful wink, but when is the last time you pulled me onto you lap, or put your hands around my waist, or spent an evening stroking my arm because I just happen to sit next to you?"

"Your boyfriend shoots laser beams from his eyes, _chèr_. I ain't stupid."

"Then why don't you ever do that with Storm, or Kitty? You know that you treat Rogue differently and deep down, she does too. Have you noticed that she shies away from everyone else's touch, and when she does touch someone, it's minimal, a few seconds before she pulls away. But not with you, never with you."

"She used to pull away plenty," he assured her. "Maybe you people just give up too easy."

"Or maybe we don't love her in the same way you do."

"I'm no good for a girl like her." Remy said, hanging his head. "I'm a ticking time bomb, in more ways than one."

"You were a ticking time bomb, maybe, but not any more. You aren't who you think you are, you know? You don't see yourself very clearly at all."

"I think I'm the only one who sees me clearly. You all are just too good to see the truth, you want to believe that there's good in everyone."

"Remy, we are good people, and we do trust you but there are other people out there, people who you can't claim are innocent or naive, that love you too. They took you in when the rest of the world turned you away and even more remarkably, they aren't even mutants."

"You leave my family out of this."

"I can't. I think you need to stop focusing on who created you and start thinking about who moulded you."

"It ain't that simple."

"It never is." Jean smiled sadly. "Life is rarely black and white, but just because we're born one way, doesn't mean that we have to follow that path. Satan was once God's favourite angel."

Remy looked up surprised, but then should have knows that she'd see his families faith in his head.

"If the devil is a fallen angel, Remy, then maybe the 'white devil' can become an angel."

Having said her piece, she left him to his thoughts.

* * *

Jean's words reverberated around Remy's head for the next two days, whenever he wasn't working on locking his powers away. Was there a chance that he could turn his life around? Atone for all those sins? His family believed in redemption, not that thieves were exactly a good example of morality in most peoples book. Most people were wrong though.

The thieves did have a code of ethics. They never stole from the poor, or even the not very well off. They also gave ten percent of their earnings to the church, and never scrimped or lied about their earnings before God. Individual members also supported charities and his father alone must give away close to a million every year. And that was nothing compared to what the guild had contributed to things like the Hurricane Katrina relief fund. In many ways they were the Robin Hoods of the modern age.

Not that they gave everything away, by far, but the point was that illegal wasn't always the same as bad or evil.

Slowly he was starting to believe that idea could also be applied to him. Just because he had done evil things, didn't have to mean that he was evil.

* * *

He was finished with his mental shields on the forth day, and thoughts of redemption were driven from his mind for a while, because now they had to make sure it had worked.

Remy walked to a secluded area of the grounds, with strict orders to remove the collar once there and create the biggest explosion that he could. Remy supposed that at least this time, no one would be hurt if it all went wrong. The X-Men who couldn't fly were watching from an ice platform that Bobby had created close to the house, though it was almost twice the height of the mansion.

Remy saw a boulder which would make a good bomb, so he removed his collar and placed it in his pocket. He and bent over the stone, pressing his hands to the rock and charging it with as much kinetic energy as he could muster. This was different to when the theatre had exploded, because he hadn't tried to charge that, in fact he had tried not to, so he already knew that he had control of his power. Now he just had to check that he didn't have access to the higher levels of charge.

He had some control over how long it would take an object to blow and as he ran, he did his best to hold onto the charge, so it wouldn't detonate until he was safe. He threw himself behind a large tree just as the blast went off.

He looked out from behind the to see that the crater was around twenty feet across and about half that in depth. Not a bad explosion, he supposed, but certainly not what he had once been capable of.

It had worked. With a smile on his face, he headed back to the mansion. Rogue was just reaching the bottom of Bobby's ice slide as he arrived and she threw herself into his arms.

"You did it, Remy, it worked!"

The others crowded around to congratulate him too and the cheerful atmosphere remained through the evening.

As Remy settled into his own bed that night though, reality intruded once again.

It wasn't over yet.

* * *

"Why are you packing?" Rogue said from his bedroom doorway.

"I thought you had a danger room session?" Remy said, upset that he had been discovered.

"There's a malfunction with the sensors, Forge need to fix it before we can continue but that's not the point. You're leaving?"

"I have to."

"So what?" She asked. "You used us to get your powers under control, and now it's sayonara?"

He turned, looking hurt that she could think that.

"No, Rogue, but there's really is only one way to find out if it's worked," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"That's madness!" she cried as she realised what he intended.

"No, _cher_, madness would be dragging you all into this. Madness is waiting until we're in the heat of the battle to see if he can undo what Jean and the Professor did. This is my fight, I won't drag anyone else into it."

Rogue could kind of see the logic in what he was saying, either Jean's barriers would hold, in which case he was a free man, or they wouldn't, in which case he was a walking dead man with only the illusion of freedom, and the ever present doubt at the back of his mind.

"Okay," she said with a sigh.

"Okay?" She was so stubborn that he had been expecting the argument to last for hours, which was why he had hoped to slip away, leaving her a note by way of an explanation. "Just like that, you're gonna let me walk out of here?"

"No, not 'just like that'. I'm going with you."

"Did you hear what I said about not dragging you into this? It's you more than anyone else that I want to protect."

"Don't you get it, Remy, I'm already in this. I've been in it from the moment you stole my heart back in New Orleans and whether I go with you or not, this is make or break for me too."

"_Cher_-"

"No, I don't want to hear it," she said, closing the space between them.

Though both were tense at the moment, the embrace was inevitable once they got close. She looked up at him, her eyes blazing with sincerity as she spoke softly.

"Besides, if this doesn't work, I still have a promise to keep."

"I'd never ask you to-"

"You don't have to ask, Remy. One way or another, you will be free, I'm determined about that."

Remy pressed her head against his chest and rested his chin on hers.

"I don't deserve you."

"I don't think love has anything to do with deserving, Remy. Love just is."

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he would do anything for her, but still the words wouldn't come.

* * *

Sinister's base was an old factory and to Rogue's surprise, Remy walked straight up to it. She was used to scoping places out before she entered, but she supposed that Remy had been here before and he was used to just walking right in the front door.

This wasn't where Jean and Scott had been taken to though, and she suddenly wished that they had told the others where they were going before they left. She knew the others would have stopped them though, and they both also knew that Remy needed to do this.

There was no one about so once inside, Remy headed for where he knew the lab to be.

"Remy, how good to see you," Sinister said, without turning to face them. He was about twelve feet away, bent over a microscope. "I see you've brought me a present."

Remy didn't answer and finally Sinister turned to them.

"I ain't here for that," Remy kept his voice even somehow, showing no fear.

He got a small glass container from his pocked and placed it on the table beside him. Sinister's eyes widened as he saw that his tracker was inside.

"I'm here to resign. You can no longer afford my services."

"I'm impressed that you found it." Sinister sounded smug. "You are a credit to your father."

"Yes I am. Goodbye, Sinister."

Before he could turn away, they heard the hiss of gas and saw Sinister placing a gas mask over his face. Remy lunged at him, hoping to tear the mask away for their use, but he was too far away and the gas was too potent. He collapsed to his knees, feeling as though he had no strength.

Remy had a high metabolism, so drugs didn't work well on him. Rogue however, was already unconscious and Remy crawled back over to her, taking her hand and gripping it with all his strength, which unfortunately wasn't much.

Sinister came to stand over them, looking triumphant even though most of his face was covered by the mask.

"Don't even think about undoing your psychic surgery!" Remy snapped, worried for Rogue. What if he'd gone through all this only to lose her. "A telepath a thousand times stronger than you took your block down and put up an impenetrable wall. I will never be at your mercy again!"

He saw the Marauders come in, blocking the exits but making no further move.

"I'd advise you to let us go, Sinister. If you do anything to us, the X-Men will come down in your like a ton of bricks." His words were slurred but he hoped he'd got his point across.

He could see Sinister's anger rising, and it both thrilled and frightened Remy.

"You dare defy me? I AM YOUR FATHER, I WILL NOT BE DISOBEYED!"

Remy actually laughed. "You sound like Darth Vader, pops. But you ain't my father, the only father I acknowledge is Jean-Luc LeBeau."

Sinister roared but Remy was having trouble clinging to consciousness. He realised that he had been foolish to come here, and even more foolish to allow Rogue to come with him, but the desire to see if he truly was free was so powerful.

"Rogue!" he cried, though it came out as little more than a whisper as his vision turned black.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Remy awoke in a cage, cradled against Rogue who was already awake.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"Just over a day," she answered. "He kept you under."

"Are you okay?"

She nodded but he could tell that she was upset.

"What's wrong?"

"He made me," Rogue sniffed.

"Made you what?"

"Made me absorb you, drain you. He wanted you powerless so that he could get into your head."

The colour drained from Remy's face. "Did it work? Did he free my powers?"

"I don't think so." She began to cry. "I'm so sorry. I came here to help you, not hurt you, but I'm a vampire, I'll never be anything else!"

"No, _cher_, it wasn't your fault! You didn't have a choice."

"But I can be used against you."

"We can all be used against each other, ain't your fault. Besides, it didn't work."

"I could have killed you, he made me hold on for so long."

Well he'd only been out a day, so it couldn't have been too bad. Unless his healing factor had already come back and was helping.

"I'm not gonna fight with you, Rogue. You drained me. So what? I said I'd always come back for more and I meant it."

He was still too weak to sit up and comfort her properly, so he just held her, putting his hands around her waist.

"I'm never gonna leave you, _cher_, no matter how dangerous you think you are."

He couldn't believe how foolish he'd been in coming here, and how utterly stupid he had been to allow Rogue to accompany him. But he'd had to know. It had been a compulsion so strong that it had overridden all of his Guild training and survival instincts. He hadn't even thought what the outcome might be, what he hoped would happen, what he wanted to happen, he just needed to know if he was truly free or not. That much was understandable, he felt.

What was unforgivable was allowing Rogue to accompany him. In his haste to test his mental barriers, he had allowed her to accompany him, placing her in as much danger as he was. Now, he couldn't believe that he had been so reckless. He could well have lost her, and even if he was finally free of Sinister, he didn't think he could live with that.

Rogue hadn't felt his compulsion and had probably been thinking clearly, or at least more clearly than he had, he realised. Yet she had come with him anyway, knowing full well that the outcome was likely to be far from good.

She had come anyway.

He felt something explode within his chest at that realisation. He couldn't put it into words, it was greater than he could express, more than he could understand, but he could feel it's meaning.

Rogue loved him, unconditionally and unequivocally. What's more, he felt the exact same way about her.

"Remy," Rogue bowed her head close to his ear and whispered as quietly as she could. "I can't get us out, he put something like forges inhibitor collar on me." She brought her hand around close his face, allowing him to see the unusual cuff she was wearing.

"Why didn't he put one on me?" he said softly.

"I think he only has one, that's why he used me to drain your powers. He was just putting it on when I woke up, he'd already used me to drain you. I've had it on ever since."

"I can pick the lock," he assured her.

He shifted his position slightly so that he was facing the wrist and surreptitiously removed a small pick from his boot. While Rogue cradled him, he discretely began to work on the cuffs lock. To anyone looking, they appeared to be nothing more than two lovers, one comforting the other.

"How touching."

Remy turned to see Sinister outside the cage. Unlike normal, there was no gloating in his voice, only cool rage. Remy smiled, pleased that he had defeated Sinister in one sense, even if they were still his prisoners.

Rogue felt the cuff unlock and moved her arms protectively around Remy so the cuff discretely fell into his lap. She bowed her head over him, absolutely certain that Sinister wasn't going to hurt Remy ever again. Not if she had anything to do with it.

Sinister opened the cage.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you, Gambit, there's a good boy. Your powers haven't come back yet so I'd forget any ideas you may have for an escape attempt. Now, out of the cage."

He so used was he to following orders that Remy made to do as he was told, but Rogue tightened her grip on him.

"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be," Sinister said with a theatrical sigh. "You are free to leave but your friend must stay here. As long as you continue to do my bidding, your lady friend won't come to any harm. You have my word."

Remy blanched, not having even considered that Sinister would try to use Rogue against him.

"You just made one small mistake," Rogue said, finally looking up so that Sinister could see her eyes. They were red on black. "Remy may be powerless right now, but you forgot that he's also knows how to pick locks, so I'm not!"

She had slipped a deck of cards from Remy's pocket, which she now charged and sprayed out through the cage door.

Sinister was driven back by the blasts but Rogue could already hear that the Marauders were on their way, attracted by the explosions. She helped Remy from the cage, hoping that the smoke from the explosions would help their escape. They weren't that lucky though.

As Blockbuster tore her from Remy and threw across the room, Rogue managed to grab onto Vertigo's skin as she flew past. Vertigo hit the floor and Rogue added one more weapon to her arsenal. It wasn't enough though. There were too many of them and Remy was too weak to put up much of a fight, though he tried his best.

She tried calling on Wolverines strength to help her fight, but the power just wouldn't come.

Without warning, a side wall exploded inwards in a blaze of red, and that was when Rogue knew that the X-Men had come for them.

With Scott, Bobby, Logan, Kitty, Kurt and Storm now on their side, the fight quickly began to go in their favour. In less than five minutes, the Marauders were history, having either run away or been rendered unconscious. Sinister was nowhere in sight.

"Come on, kid, we gotta go!" Logan called.

"Where's Remy?" Rogue asked, looking around in a panic, fearing that Sinister had dragged him off somewhere.

"Kurt teleported him back to the jet," Kitty explained.

"Now that your boyfriend's safe, can we get out of here?" Logan asked with his usual deadpan humour.

"Sure." Rogue picked her way through the rubble and debris to the hole that Scott had made in the wall. Logan helped her over the rubble as she got close, since she was looking a little worse for wear now. Remy's healing factor would soon take care of that though.

"What took you so long?" she teased, but it lacked her usual light-hearted tone.

"A couple of idiots left the institute to fight their own personal battle and forgot to tell the rest of us where they'd gone, or even that they were going."

"You would have stopped us," Rogue pointed out.

"Damn straight."

Rogue smiled.

Once on the jet, Rogue made her way to Remy to make sure he was all right. He had a few new abrasions but they would heal quickly enough, especially once his powers came back. It was drugs and Sinister's mental assault that had weakened him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Feeling better every minute," he said with a warm smile.

"Glad to hear it," Kitty said. "I knew you'd best that slime ball!"

"_Merci_, _petit_."

"I can't believe Sinister got away," Bobby pouted.

"Sinister wasn't the mission, bub." Logan added, pleased to have his Rogue back safe. "Don't worry though, you'll get your chance one day soon."

"You look better already," Rogue said to Remy. "I'm am so s-"

He cut her off with a gloved finger across her lips.

"Ssh. Remy loves you, _cher_, ain't nothing gonna change that. Ever." He put his hand across his heart. "Thieve's honour."

Rogue looked shocked for a moment then a smile began to form on her lips. "Good, cos I love you too."

"Great. Now when we get home, I'm gonna move my things into your room," he declared. "Well, actually you are, 'cos I have a feeling I'll be passing out again pretty soon, but I've decided that I don't like sleeping alone in that draughty mansion no more, and you make an excellent hot water bottle. I'll even buy a onesie if it'll make you more comfortable."

"Whatever you want, Cajun." Rogue laughed.

"Good. And as soon as I'm feeling better, we're going on a date. A real one to a real restaurant and movie or something. That way I can legitimately call you my girlfriend."

Rogue's eyes welled with tears and her voice caught when she tried to rely.

"_Cher_, I... Is that okay? I didn't mean to upset-"

Rogue cut him off, this time her finger resting against his lips. When she finally spoke, her voice was warm.

"Whatever you want, Remy."

"Great." Logan rolled his eyes. "Now that that's cleared up, if you ever put my girl in a situation like that again, bub, and I'll be making myself a new coat from your hide." His claws ran out to emphasise the point.

Despite agreeing wholeheartedly with Logan's sentiments, Remy just wasn't in the habit of showing weakness.

"I told her to stay behind," Remy shrugged. He knew that Logan's threats were a twisted form of acceptance. "Ain't my fault if she's as stubborn as you, _mon ami_."

Rogue smiled. Remy was gonna fit into this group just fine.

* * *

Rogue sighed as she sat on the couch in the rec room, ostensibly watching a film with Storm, but in reality missing Gambit. He'd only been gone a week and already she was missing him like crazy. He expected to be away for at least another 2 weeks, maybe more.

He and his family were out stealing the artefacts that he would have stolen for Sinister.

They still couldn't determine the use of many of these objects but according to Charles, three of them could be combined and would become a key to help find and free Apocalypse. Since Charles knew nothing of the other items, it was assumed that Sinister or Apocalypse had destroyed them, which most likely made them forced for good, to prevent Apocalypse from rising or stop him if he was successful.

Surprisingly, while the Guild was happy to work for the X-Men, the only team member that Remy would allow to accompany him was Kitty, as in his words, 'her mutation makes her an asset rather than a liability'.

Rogue hadn't liked the idea of him him being on his own for a month because she was still worried that Sinister might try something, however she could see his logic. While she could access other peoples powers and her recall was improving, it was still far from perfect so while she could access Kitty's power, if she froze in the middle of a job she could get everyone in trouble.

Logan's objections to the arrangement were of an entirely different nature, he didn't trust the sweet and innocent Kitty to be in the Cajun's clutches for a month. It took a lot of persuading but Rogue eventually got him to agree that if Remy's girlfriend could trust him to be with the beautiful, young and nubile Kitty for a month, Logan could suck it up and deal with it too.

Bobby's worries were of a similar nature (though fuelled by jealousy) but he wasn't Kitty's boyfriend, so he hadn't said much other than to agree with Logan when he spoke up.

Storm glanced at her friend, feeling like sighing herself. She had hoped that a movie would distract Rogue, she had even chosen an action film, full of guns and violence, which really wasn't Storm's thing at all, but though her eyes were on the TV, Rogue hardly seemed to notice what was happening.

It wasn't that she minded Rogue pining after her boyfriend really, but this Rogue was just so odd! Rogue didn't mope, she didn't sigh softly, she didn't start wearing someone else's T-shirts so that she could feel close to them, and she really didn't ignore action movies.

Storm didn't know what to do with this Rogue.

"He will be back," Storm said, finally accepting that her cunning plan to distract Rogue had failed.

"What? Oh, yeah, I know." Rogue blushed. "I just-"

"Miss him," Storm finished. "It's perfectly normal, you know."

Rogue didn't see why she wasn't allowed to have romantic feelings like other people were, but even she knew that she was acting out of character. In fact she felt as if she was a school girl with a crush. Still, she could be running around the mansion biting peoples heads off, so really they should be grateful that she was just distracted and brooding.

"What if he gets caught?" Rogue asked, for perhaps the twelfth time.

"He's a thief, this is what he does. Have a little faith!"

"I do, I just worry, that's all."

"Uh huh." Storm nodded knowingly.

Before Rogue could ask what she meant by that, Bobby popped his head into the room.

"Hey, Angel's waking up! Come on!"

* * *

Rogue, Storm and Bobby were among the last to congregate outside the med lab and though they asked the others for an update, no one knew anything more than Bobby right now. Only Storm and Hank, were allowed inside, not wanting to overwhelm Warren when he woke up.

Though they were hopeful, no one wanted to admit that they were also on their guard. Hank thought that with the help of Remy's DNA, he had succeeded in shielding Angel's mind from Sinister, but he had no guarantees.

Logan began to pace the hallway and Rogue took to watching him, finding the motion soothing. It felt like they waited an eternity until Storm unlocked the door and let them in, but it was probably only twenty minutes at most.

The X-Men all huddled into the room, cautious but optimistic.

Warren was sitting up in bed, looking a little shell shocked but otherwise okay. He gave them a weak smile.

"Hi."

The X-men all smiled back and Storm walked back to Warren's bedside and took his hand.

Unfortunately, Angel might be himself once more, but he was still blue.

"So it worked?" Logan asked Hank.

"It appears to have, yes."

"What worked?" Warren asked. "What did you do to me?"

"Well, it appears that Sinister used a retro-virus to alter your DNA. I took that same virus and substituted some of the DNA of a mutant who is immune to Sinister's telepathy. So far it appears to be shielding you, but we will have to keep a careful eye on you for a while."

Angel nodded.

"I'm so sorry," he said, keeping his eyes on his lap. "I should have listened to you all, but I was just so..."

"We understand," Rogue said.

Warren nodded but he didn't look up at them.

"I remember everything," he said. "It was like I was watching myself on TV or something, but I was powerless to change what I saw... what I did. I tried."

"We know you did," Storm assured him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I believe that is enough for now," Hank said. "We don't want to overexert Warren. I would like him to remain here overnight for observation but if there is no change, I believe it would do him good to be amongst his friend again tomorrow. I can monitor his brain waves remotely."

They all thanked Hank, congratulated Angel and left, so once again only Storm and Hank remained with him. Bobby called Kitty as they left so that she could hear the good news. Then he put her on speaker phone so that she could join in the conversation.

"He's gonna need time," Logan said with a sigh as they headed back upstairs.

"It's bad enough that he had to deal with what Sinister turned him into, but to remember everything as well?" Jean shook her head. "I think I'm going to have my hands full with counselling for a few weeks."

"But he's still Warren!" Bobby said. "It doesn't matter if he looks different or if he's a little traumatised, haven't we all seen or done things we wish we hadn't?"

"Bobby's right," Rogue said. "I saw into his head when I absorbed him and he's going to going to have a hard enough time. He doesn't need us being all morose and worried too. He's alive and he's himself again, that's what we should be focusing on."

"You should throw him a party!" Kitty said, and received a number of groans in reply. "I'm not talking about a disco or anything," Kitty didn't sound happy with their scepticism. "Just us, some balloon, some banners and some food. Warren's favourite foods if you can find them."

Rogue was nodding along in agreement as Kitty spoke; she was right, this event did need celebrating.

"I'll get started on the banners!" Bobby offered.

"And Jean and I will bake a cake," Rogue pitched in, Jean didn't seem upset to have been volunteered. Besides, Rogue could bake but she couldn't ice to save her life.

"I, uh, I guess Forge and I can go into town and get some supplies," Scott offered.

All eyes turned to Logan.

"I am not blowing up balloons!"

* * *

Thankfully, Gambit and Kitty returned four weeks and two days after they had left, which was a huge relief to everyone. To Rogue because Remy was safely by her side again, and to everyone else because Kitty returned none the worse for wear for having spent a month with the Thieves' Guild. She had lots of stories to tell about the Guild, the house and various members, not to mention a newly acquired skill to pick locks. It was kind of redundant given her power, but she seemed to have fun showing off her new skill.

The three items that would help free Apocalypse were kept apart, one kept by the guild in New Orleans and the other two sent to Guilds in France and China. It may sound counter-intuitive, but no one knows how to protect things as well as Thieves do.

The unknown objects were brought back to the mansion where Hank and Jean could do their best to discover the history of the items. Remy oversaw the instillation of a new security system that protected them, just in case Sinister figured out who had them.

Rogue didn't care much about that, she was just glad to have Remy home.

"Glad to be home, _cher_," he said, sweeping her into a hug when she told him.

"Do you mean that?" she asked, pulling away. "This place is home?"

"_Non_," Remy said with a smile, which confused the hell out of Rogue. "Anywhere you are is home."

Rogue realised that it was a line and while he probably hadn't used it on anyone else before, it was certainly part of his infamous Cajun charm. She didn't care though. She knew he loved her and the cheesy lines were actually a huge part of why she loved him. It wasn't like he actually had to work to get her any more, he already owned her heart, what's more he didn't exactly have a lot of competition for her affections.

Only the womanising Remy LeBeau would fall in love with an untouchable woman, and still care enough to say these corny lines and make her feel important once he had already won her affections.

She wanted to kiss him, but of course that was out, so she settled for a laugh at Logan's eye roll and another, longer hug from Remy.

* * *

The Thieves' Guild had also been very helpful in the future and while they didn't have too many specifics, they had recorded names, dates and anything else that they knew, which they happily shared with Charles. They were also able to steal with they didn't have to fill in the missing pieces.

With this information, Charles was able to discover how Apocalypse came to power.

It seemed that he was in some kind of stasis within his ship (very advanced technology but they had no idea of it's origin) and he would awake in another sixteen years. He was first noticed in Africa, though through some careful digging through he documents the thieves had stolen, Charles was able to determine that he actually arose in Antarctica. Charles theorised that his ship was hidden somewhere there, probably in the ice.

As Logan heard what the professor had to say he was pleased with the progress, but doubtful about finding Sinister's ship, no matter how large it was, among probably billions of tons of ice.

"The ship gives off a very faint energy signature," The professor explained.

"Okay, even assuming that we can find this ship, Chuck, from what you've said, he's pretty indestructible. How do we kill him?"

"I don't believe you can kill him," Charles confessed. "However, I do believe that it is possible to weaken him or perhaps damage the ship, which would mean that he needs to stay in stasis to recuperate."

Logan told the X-Men what he had learned and they spent the next two months coming up with a way to not only find the ship, but hopefully destroy it.

One of Remy's stolen artefacts turned out to be their salvation. While tinkering in his lab, Hank was able to discover that one of the unknown artefacts was a detector that was so sensitive, it could register the presence of a battery from twenty feet away.

Of course, that still left them with 5 1/2 million square miles to cover!

It was a slow and arduous process and they estimated that it would take well over three months to complete, even with the sensitive energy detector and the Blackbird. Thankfully they found Apocalypse's ship after just nine weeks, which was still better than 12.

Even Forge, who had been in his element and on a mission, had begun to tire of the search, but he soon changed his mind when he ran a scan on the vessel.

Obviously not all of the X-Men went to the Antarctic as that would be redundant so once found, they returned to the mansion to plan further.

Most if the team were for blowing the ship up with some massive explosives. Unfortunately it seemed pretty clear that the ship was almost as indestructible as Sinister, maybe even more so.

For perhaps the first time ever, Remy wished that he had his full powers. Super advanced technology or not, he was absolutely certain that he could blow a hole in the thing. He didn't suggest removing the mental barriers though.

He had only had a small glimpse of what his powers would be like at full strength and that had been passive, he had never actively tried to use them. However, part of him seemed to instinctively know that what he had seen and done was just a small fraction of what he could be capable of, and he didn't even want to think about the damage that he could do.

Still, by day four of the discussions, they were getting nowhere fast and he was just about ready to suggest it anyway. Thankfully, Forge came to his rescue.

"You're saying this ship is alive?" Logan asked Forge. Granted, he wasn't very technically literate, but even he knew that machines didn't live, no matter how advanced they were.

"Well no," Forge admitted, which cheered Logan somewhat until he continued. "It does have a mind though, an electronic brain and artificial intelligence. It can think for itself."

Logan decided to just take the kids word for it.

"That would mean it was capable of defending itself." Hank added.

"Well yeah, but I don't think it will."

"How can you know that?" Rogue asked.

"Because I've been talking to it ever since we got back."

In the resulting silence, you could have heard a pin drop.

"Back up!" Logan said. "You want to run that by me again?"

"I'm sorry, maybe I should have told someone," Forge cringed, realising what a security breech that was.

"You think?" Remy asked. If the artificial intelligence was talking to Forge here, then it could have access to any of the mansions systems, including Remy's security system.

"If it helps, she thought that your upgrades are top notch, though she does have some suggestions for improvements."

Not for the first time, Remy wondered if Forge was quite the whole ticket. "You want me to take advice on the mansion security from our enemies computer?"

Forge cringed slightly again. He had never thought of it quite like that.

"But I don't think she wants to hurt us," Forge tried to defend himself. "She doesn't like Apocalypse and if she could, she'd kick him out to fend for himself. He enslaved her!"

Aside from the fact that he was calling a computer 'she', no one could quite believe that Forge hadn't even entertained the idea that 'she' could be tricking him. Well if 'she' really was that intelligent, it made sense that 'she' could lie and manipulate.

"She isn't trying to con me!" Forge could feel the implication in their silence. "She doesn't want him to wake up any more than we do."

"How can you be so sure?" Hank asked.

"Because we've been working on a way for her to override Apocalypse's settings. She's sick and tired of doing his bidding and would love nothing more than to launch him into the heart of the sun."

"She is intelligent but can't override her own programming?" Hank asked.

"Well yeah. I mean it's not that alien of a concept. It's like the three laws of robotics that keep people safe, you want your robot to think for itself, but not to be able to override those laws that protect us."

Most people at the table clearly had no idea what the 'three laws of robotics' even were, but Remy, Hank and Jean looked like they understood.

"Or in other words," Hank tried to rephrase for the non-technical people at the table. "She needs a person to access certain parts of her programming, yes?"

"Exactly!" Forge beamed.

"How did she contact you?" Logan wanted to know.

"Oh, we did a scan when we found her and she detected it. She's already on the internet so she tracked us down here and PM'ed me."

"PM?" At this point, Logan wasn't really sure that he wanted to know.

"Electronic communication," Kitty supplied. "Like email but different." That little explanation wasn't going to win her any literary awards but it was enough for Logan.

"She's been surfing the internet since it came into existence," Forge ploughed on. "I mean she's been trapped in ice for a few thousand years now, she gets lonely."

"She hacked into the internet?" Rogue asked.

Forge nodded. "And before that, into phone lines. She'd just call up random strangers and see if she could get them to chat. Sometimes she'd phone call centres with some random problem, that's how lonely she is."

"That's pretty smart," Kitty said.

"Well, she has a lot of free time on her hands, there's not exactly a lot for her to do while Apocalypse is in stasis and the ship is powered down."

Logan was getting tired of all this techno babble and wanted to move the conversation back onto firm ground, or in other words, terms that he could understand.

"So, assuming that we trust this computer, you're going to try and hack into the... stuff that only Apocalypse can access?"

"Yeah.

"And do what?" Logan asked.

"Well... See, the thing is, I think she deserves to be free. I want to give her the ability and pass codes to access that programming, then she'll be able to do whatever she wants."

"A sentient spaceship roaming the universe." Storm said, clearly unsure how she felt about that.

"So what if we decide not to give her freedom?" Logan asked. "What are our options then?"

Forge clearly didn't like that idea and his answer was sullen, though he tried to hide it.

"Well, I can program her to leave the earth, head into deep space, I guess."

"Who's to say she won't come back?" Scott asked. "When Apocalypse wakes up, he's probably just going to turn around and come back."

"Exactly!" Forge jumped on the idea. "And the only way to top him doing that is to give her freedom, so she doesn't have to listen to him any more."

"It would still buy us 30 years," Logan said. "More time to learn how to defeat Apocalypse."

Eventually it was decided that the X-Men had to meet this computer, who called herself Halie, or Hal for short. Only Logan didn't get the joke.

* * *

Only four X-men went to meet Hal at a time, just in case she was planning to trap or kill them, and Kurt was in every party since teleporting was pretty much the only way to reach a ship that was buried under thousands of tons of ice, and Forge because he said that he needed to learn about Hal's systems if he was ever going to hack into them.

Logan and Kitty rounded out the first party, Logan because he didn't trust this computer, Kitty because she was fascinated, and also the only one other then forge who stood a chance of really comprehending what was going on.

Hal showed them what they wanted to know about herself (the ship) and she told theme everything that she knew about Apocalypse, though she sounded sad that she didn't know more.

Logan asked how she had come to be in Apocalypse's service, and she explained that she had been a battle ship but that he crew had perished in the battle. She flew through space, unable to alter her previously programmed course, which brought her to Earth, where she crash landed five thousand years ago. She was too badly damaged to take off again and of course, and her crew was beyond repairing her.

Apocalypse had found the ship, realised how advanced it was and set about repairing the damage. She had been under his rule since then, as he had accessed her programming and made himself her captain.

Badly wounded in his last attempt to rule the earth, he had taken to her stasis chambers where his wounds could be healed by her technology. Unable to stop him any other way, she accessed the little programming that she could and changed the duration of his stay in stasis to the maximum, 999 years.

Though he hated to admit it, Logan was beginning to agree with Forge; this computer did want to help and be free of Apocalypse. Of course, there was no saying that she couldn't turn out to be a worse tyrant than Apocalypse, she had been designed as a battle ship, after all.

Forge stayed on the ship to learn more about her systems while Kurt transported the other X-Men on board in pairs. She answered all their questions about herself, her creators and the universe as a whole, though she warned that her information was 5,000 years out of date.

When Forge finally returned to the Blackbird at the end of that day, it was clear that he didn't want to leave Hal but had been ordered to. He, Kitty and Hank got together to discuss how to best circumnavigate her systems to give them (or her) access to her forbidden software. As intelligent as he was, Hank's speciality wasn't computers so he mostly just listened and offered advice where he could.

They slept on the Blackbird that night and decided that the next day, they would leave Forge and Hank here while the others headed back to the mansion. They could communicate with Kitty via the internet.

The other X-Men got to decide Hal's fate while they worked and eventually, after three days, a lot of arguments and even a near fight, they decided to grant Hal her freedom.

* * *

Rogue wrapped her arm around Remy's waist and snuggled into his side as they watched the ship land in the mansion grounds. It's pyramid design was unusual and certainly not aerodynamic, but somehow it stayed airborne.

It hovered a foot or so off the ground and when the door opened, Hank and Forge came out to join them. Hal was already free but as a thank you, she had asked to take the X-Men home. Logan hadn't liked it, but he hadn't been given much of a choice.

As funny as it sounded, everyone was actually pretty upset to see her leaving.

"Where will you go?" Jean asked the ship.

Hal gave a wistful sigh. "Anywhere but here," she confessed. "No offence, but I've spent most of my life here and I just want to get out and explore."

If anyone thought it odd for a computer to talk of having a life, no one said so.

"And Apocalypse?" Logan asked her.

"I will get him as far away as I can, then eject his stasis unit on to an inhabited planet."

"Will you keep in touch?" Forge asked, somewhat hesitantly.

Rogue looked at Remy and she could see that he was thinking the exact same thing; Forge had fallen for a computer. It was kind of obvious really yet at the same time, completely unexpected. It was also rather cute.

"Of course I will, Hal assured him. "Just make sure that you keep your hyperchannel receiver in working order."

"I will," he assured her.

The other X-Men wished her well on her journey, then moved back a little to give Hal and Forge some privacy. He joined them a few moments later and they watched in silence as the ship rose higher into the air, hovered for a moment, then in the blink of an eye, disappeared up into the atmosphere.

They had successfully averted Apocalypse's rise, for a while at least, though some couldn't shake the feeling that he would be back, one day.

In the mean time, they had a new worry, Worthington Pharmaceuticals so called 'cure'. The cure itself wasn't what they objected to (well not much) but Charles had informed them that the cure would mutate into a deadly virus that infected mutants, and would eventually become contagious and infect those who had not taken the cure.

There was a cure for 'the cure' in the future, but by the time it was discovered and made available, 69% of the worlds mutant population had died, including some of the X-men.

Nevertheless, all of the X-Men were feeling optimistic.

* * *

Just the epilogue to go, guys. Hope you're still enjoying it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Epilogue**

"Wow," Rogue said as she looked up at the mansion. "This is where you grew up?"

"Well I spent the first seven years on the streets, so I figure this place kinda balances things out."

The front door of the French colonial mansion opened long before they got there, and Henri came running over to them.

"You made it!" he grinned, pulling them both into a hug. "Oh, Remy, it's good to see you."

"Henri! Stop yammering like a loon and bring my boy in here!" said another figure, now standing in the mansion doorway.

Rogue hadn't met him but she assumed this was Remy's father, Jean-Luc.

"_Père_," Remy called, confirming her suspicions as he ran to the other man.

They hugged and by the time they broke apart, Rogue and Henri had reached them.

"_Père_, allow me to introduce Rogue. Rogue this is _mon père_, Jean-Luc."

He took her hand and bowed over it, kissing the back.

"A pleasure to finally meet the worlds greatest thief," he said.

Rogue looked confused.

"Any woman who can steal my Remy's heart has got to have some rare skills," he said with a wink. "Anyway, come in, come in. You must be tired after your journey. Remy, why don't you show Rogue to your room, then join us in the rear lounge once you've freshened up."

Remy smiled, liking that idea and led Rogue up the stairs.

* * *

"And this is my room," he said, opening the door with a flourish.

Like the rest of the mansion, it was opulent but tasteful. The carpets were so thick that Rogue felt like she was sinking into them with each step. The the middle of the room stood a large four poster bed and the windows had floor length, heavy velvet curtains, tied back with thick, platted rope. She'd be willing to bet that everything in here was antique.

"I think I could get used to this," Rogue said, falling onto her bed and sighing.

"I'll buy us our own mansion if you want, _cher_."

"Charmer," she said with a smile.

After they had unpacked, they made their way back downstairs and enjoyed drink with Henri and Jean-Luc. A little later Henri's wife, Mercy, joined them.

They both caught up on each others news until it neared dinner time, at which point Remy's cousins, Emil, Theoren and Etienne joined them with their respective partners, and after that Rogue was unable to remember everyone's name.

She was hugged, kissed and complimented more times that she would normally be in a year, and it quickly became clear how very much these people loved Remy, and now by extension, herself.

Rogue wondered how they could possibly fit around one table for dinner, until she saw the table which was easily thirty foot long and laid out as if for a banquet. Jean-Luc sat at one end, Remy on one side, Henri on the other and the rest of the family took up about half the length of the table. Conversation and wine flowed freely.

Tante Mattie came out to greet her boy when desert was served, and told Rogue that she'd have a proper chat with her tomorrow, just so she'd know how to keep 'that boy' in line. Rogue laughed, though she was uncertain if Tante was joking or not.

Finally at gone midnight, Rogue and Remy made their way to bed.

"So, what do you think?" Remy asked, with just a hint of tension in his voice. After all, everyone wanted their partners to get along with their family.

"I think I'm going to like them," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I think they're what a real family should feel like," she said.

"They're your family too now _chèr_, and they loved you as well."

Rogue yawned, then smiled mischievously.

"Well, its been a long day, I guess I can finally take this damn bracelet off and go to sleep."

She made to remove the silver bracelet but Gambit's hand covered her wrist before she could.

"Oh no, Forge's little gift stays on, _cher_."

"Oh does it?" she asked, raising a haughty eyebrow.

"Well, I'm ravaging you one way or the other, so I guess it's up to you whether you want my perverted thoughts in your head for the next week."

Rogue laughed.

Forge had taken Remy's static bracelet, the one that Remy had used to hide his scent, and had been able to turn the static field into a repulsion field. What this meant was that Rogue was able to touch without absorbing people, as just above her skin was a repellent field.

It didn't alter the sensation of touch much because the field was only 3 microns thick. The best part though, well, perhaps the second best part, was that unlike the inhibitor collar, this device didn't actually turn her powers on or off, so it was completely safe for long term use.

Unfortunately the device couldn't enable them to have sex without a condom (which wasn't fool proof, but Remy was more than willing to take the risk) nor could they French kiss since the bracelet only worked on the skin, but just being able to touch was more than they could have imagined when they had first met, just over a year ago now.

Remy picked her up in a fireman's carry and began kissing her neck as he carried her over to the bed.

She was working on her powers with Jean and although she hadn't told Remy, they were starting to have some success. She was afraid to say anything to him yet though, just in case she jinxed herself. And if nothing came of this, then at least only one of them would be disappointed.

Right now though, as Remy was making it very difficult for her to think about anything but the trail of his lips, as they devoured each new area of her skin that he uncovered.

* * *

Rogue awoke in the morning nestled in Remy's arms. She would never have thought herself a cuddly sleeper, but she supposed after so many years without the ability to touch, she was simply making up for lost time.

"Go back to sleep," Remy murmured as he felt her stir.

"The others will be here soon," Rogue said, turning in his arms. She had long since learned that kissing him was the best way to wake him up.

Tomorrow was Thanksgiving and for the first time, all the X-Men and the inner circle of the Guild would be in the same room. Rogue was pleased to be meeting Remy's family, especially since they had all been so good to her so far, but she was a little apprehensive as to what kind of impression her own X-Men family would give to her possible future in-laws.

Remy had slotted himself into the X-men family relatively well, which is not to say that everything was hugs and puppies but tensions didn't often boil over. Surprisingly, Logan seemed to be Remy's closest friend among them (other than Rogue of course) and they could often be found playing poker together or sparring in the danger room.

Scott seemed to have gotten over Remy kidnapping Jean when she was a teenager, but unfortunately that did little to sooth the tensions between them. Scott thought Remy reckless and impulsive, while Remy thought Scott to be a 'stuffy, stagnant and staid, jumped up little boy scout'. And yes, he had said that to Scott's face. Thankfully, Logan kept them separated most of the time, and never put them in the same team.

Truth be told, Logan often felt the same way about Scott, but as leader he had learned not to say it out loud. Well, he had learned to say it much less often is perhaps more accurate. Sometimes he also agreed with Scott's assessment of Remy, but again he was forced not to take sides and remain impartial.

Sometimes being a leader sucked.

Rogue didn't mind the conflict though, and lord knew she had no room to talk!

The truth is that no family is perfect, not even those who were voluntarily together. If anything, she felt more at home among the X-Men since Remy's had joined them, than she had since Logan left and the mansion had exploded.

And for some unknown reason, she had grown closer to Storm, Jean and especially Kitty. Perhaps it was because she finally understood an aspect of their lives that had previous been unknown to her, dating, or perhaps more accurately, love (though Rogue didn't often admit to that in public, or to anyone really, other than Remy). Or perhaps it was because they could relate to her a little more now that she too was in the minefield that is relationships. Or maybe (and she was loathed to believe this) but maybe it was because her attitude was softening a little and they didn't have to worry quite so much about her losing her temper. Whatever the reason, she was feeling much more comfortable with them.

Of course, as much as she loved her adopted family, she knew their flaws as well as anyone could and she really didn't want them to make a bad impression on Remy's family.

Rogue's tension must have shown in her kiss because Gambit didn't reciprocate and pulled away.

"_Chèr_?" he looked puzzled.

Rogue sighed and tucked herself into his side, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Come on, you can tell me," he prompted.

"I'm worried about Logan," she admitted.

That only confused Remy even further. "He's a big boy, I think he can handle a road trip."

"No," she leaned up on her elbow so that she was looking down at him. "What if he starts a fight or something? Or breaks some of the furniture? He doesn't even need to lose his temper, some if the furniture is really delicate and looks expensive, and he's made of adamatium, which isn't exactly light."

"Most of the furniture is a century or more old, I think it can survive three days with Logan. And if not, I'll replace it."

"You can't just replace antiques," she argued.

"_Chère_, even if Logan did the dance of the seven veils on top of the dining table, my family will not blame you for it. They like you, remember? If anything, Logan being an ass will make they feel sorry for you and take you even further under their wing."

Rogue didn't believe him, but his words did sooth her nerves a little.

Remy turned her onto her back and began to kiss her neck, leaving a trail warm kisses over her collar bone and down to her breasts.

"Remy," she tried to sound firm but it came out as more of a whine. "We have to get to breakfast."

"_Non_," he paused briefly in his ministrations. "If we go down late we can eat in the kitchen, then Tante will get to meet you. Plus, you have a lot of nervous energy, _chèr_, and it's my duty as your boyfriend to help you work it off."

"Oh? Well, that's very selfless of you."

Remy flashed her a wolfish grin. "That's the kinda guy I am, chèr. Now quiet, men are at work here."

Rogue laughed, but dutifully lay back and let him get on with expending her excess energy.

* * *

By the time they made it down to breakfast the family had eaten and gone, so Remy took Rogue into the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it too was grand, more then capable of catering to a full dining table, but with stone floors and beaten pine tables, it was also very homey and not at all imposing.

Remy silently sauntered up to _Tante_ Mattie, where she was rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, and kissed her cheek.

The old lady jumped and lightly hit his arm.

"Get away with you, you scamp! I got work to do."

Rogue smiled since she was clearly delighted to see him, despite her words.

"_Au contraire_, _Tante_." He took her shoulders and guided her over to the table. "You put your feet up with Roguie while I make you both a breakfast fit for a king."

_Tante_ Mattie sat down with Rogue while Remy began pottering around in the kitchen.

"So, child, this boy givin' you any trouble?" was _Tante's_ opening gambit.

"No, Ma'am," Rogue smiled.

"Call me _Tante_, everyone else does."

"Okay, thanks."

"So really, is he giving you any trouble? I can't believe that he's changed that much."

Remy brought two mugs of freshly made coffee over for them and Rogue smiled as Remy rolled his eyes. Clearly this banter was expected.

"Well he tried," Rogue admitted. "So I knocked him out and kidnapped him."

_Tante_ looked at her for a second, then burst out laughing.

Behind the old woman, Remy put a finger to his temple and drew a circle there while crossing his eyes, implying that Tante was crazy.

Noticing Rogues smile and that she was looking behind her, Tante turned to Remy, who promptly stopped what he was doing and smiled angelically.

"What's he doing?" Tante asked Rogue.

"Um, nothing." Rogue lied.

"You're not too old to go over my knee, boy!" Tante threatened Remy. "And don't you forget it!"

Somehow Rogue doubted that Tante had ever raised a finger to her boy, let alone spanked him.

He redeemed himself somewhat when he presented them with an omelet, made with cheese, sausage, onion, parsley, tomato, paprika and cracked pepper, with skillet potatoes on the side. He got his own plate, then sat down next to Rogue, waiting to begin until _Tante_ had delivered her verdict on his cooking.

"We-ell," she said after her first mouthful, clearly aware that Remy was waiting for her opinion and drawing things out on purpose. "It don't seem that northern living has don't to much harm to your cooking skills... yet."

Remy grinned and tucked into his food.

When they were done, Remy insisted on taking the dishes and loading the dishwasher himself. Tante gave him tips on how to do it properly but since Remy mimed along with most of her advice, it was clear that he'd heard everything enough times to memorise it. Still, redundant or not, he looked perfectly happy to be told once again.

When he was gone, Tante turned to Rogue and her expression turned serious.

"I don't know what you done for that boy, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart." She had tears shining in her eyes as she reached out and took Rogue's hand. She squeezed hard, as though she could convey the depth of her feeling through the strength of her grip. "I haven't seen him this relaxed in ten years or more."

"I can't take all the credit, but you're more than welcome." She looked over to where Remy was happily loading plates and smiled. "I'd do anything for him."

Tante gave her hand one final squeeze of approval then she stood up.

"Well, it won't do to sit around here all day. Dinner won't make itself!" She quickly shooed Remy and Rogue out of her kitchen, telling him to "Make sure you show that girlie a good time."

"If Remy knows anything, it's how to show a _fille_ a good time," he teased.

Tante threw a tea-towel at his head with an accuracy that only comes from practice.

* * *

The X-Men arrived en masse that afternoon. Kitty greeted everyone with a hug but the others settled for handshakes as they were introduced. The mansion was big enough to house them all and after unpacking, they joined the family in the lounge for drinks and conversation.

Things were a little awkward for a while since these were essentially two groups of strangers, but after about half an hour people had found conversation topics and broken up into smaller groups. Even Kurt, Angel and Hank were accepted, as though it was nothing unusual to have a blue and/or fury guest over to dinner. Hank was currently discussing the finer points of the Hadron Collide with Theoren, who also seemed to have an amateur interest in physics. As for Kurt, he might behave like a serious and responsible grown up now but in his youth, he had been something of a joker. He was now sharing some of his secrets with Emil, who was listening to the elf's antics with something akin to awe. Angel was discussing the stock market with Etienne, who wanted to pick the brain of someone who was raised in big business for tips.

Dinner was called and they headed into the dining room for a pre thanksgiving feast fit for a king. The seating wasn't assigned but thankfully, no one saw fit to take Jean-Luc's chair at the head of the table. Rogue was pleased to see that the table wasn't divided into X-Men and thieves either, but comprised of clusters of each. A sign that friendships were already being made. Perhaps the most surprising thing was that Logan had taken the chair that last night had been Remy's, right next to Jean-Luc.

"Do they really expect us to eat all this and still eat thanksgiving dinner tomorrow?" Bobby quietly asked Kitty.

Kitty smiled. "If the main meal smells this good, imagine what the desert will be like? In fact, I may just hold off and wait for that."

Rogue smiled as she looked over at Kitty, having similar sentiments herself.

Emil, who was sitting next to Kitty, had to chip in. "Aww you could use some fattening up, _cher_," he teased her. They had been flirting a little all afternoon, and more than a few curious and watchful eyes kept straying their way. Remy had confided in Rogue that his cousin had developed a thing for Kitty while she was working with them, and teased her that the guild and the X-Men would soon have another union on their hands.

The conversation flowed freely while they ate and when the plates for the main course were cleared, Jean-Luc got to his feet.

"Believe it or not, tomorrow we will have more guild members here celebrating with us, so while I know you've had a long day travelling and are probably feeling a little tired after such a grand meal, I will say this now. Don't worry, I'll keep it short. Bedsides, I have seen Tante's desert, and I too am rather keen to enjoy it." He smiled at Kitty, who blushed. Sure, she had lived with the thieves for a month, but Jean-Luc's teasing never failed to make her blush.

Jean-Luc looked over to where Remy sat next to Rogue.

"I must confess that while I gave Remy my blessing to leave the guild, I was apprehensive. I thought that I was losing a son and no father likes that feeling."

Remy and his father looked into each others eyes for a few moments, silently conveying their affection, before Jean-Luc looked around the rest of the table.

"Now I can see that I was wrong, for instead of losing a son, I have gained an extended family. Thankfully, one that is equally as bizarre and outlandish as my own." People laughed and Jean-Luc picked up his glass. "I have discussed this with the council, and I would like to formally declare the X-Men 'Friends of the Guild'. I want you to know that should you ever need our help, we are at your service."

He raised his glass and the others copied him.

"To new friends."

"New friends," the table chorused, raising their glasses and taking a sip.

Jean-Luc sat down and signalled for the desert to be served.

"Don't think that means he ain't gonna charge you next time," Remy pipped up, causing the thieves to laugh and the X-Men to wonder if he was serious or not.

Rogue took his hand and leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder as she looked around the table.

"You okay, _cher_?" Remy asked.

"Yeah, she turned to smile at him. "I'm perfect."


End file.
